Oregon
Oregon softball improves to 20-1 and caps its first weekend at home with 15th straight win
Stingy pitching, timely hitting and chaos on the base paths have been the driving forces behind Oregon softball’s near-perfect start to the season.
Sunday, those three factors brought the final game of the Oregon Classic to an early end.
Kai Luschar capped a six-run fifth inning with a walk-off RBI single as the No. 14 Ducks defeated Loyola Chicago 9-1 at Jane Sanders Stadium.
It was the 15th straight win for Oregon (20-1), which is off to its best start since going 24-1 to open the 2021 season.
The Ducks’ success in their first home weekend of the season came despite the absence of coach Melyssa Lombardi, who was away from the team tending to a personal matter. Associate head coach Sam Marder stepped in for Lombardi.
“I’m really proud of our team,” Marder said. “I think that we definitely faced a little adversity this weekend down our head coach. The biggest thing is we just wanted to make sure she knew we had her back. We’re the best when she’s here but it’s a testament to her that we can go be successful when she’s not here, too.”
The Ducks were up 3-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth but the chances for a big inning quickly gained momentum when Dezianna Patmon led off with her sixth home run of the season, a no-doubter just inside the foul pole in left field.
Back-to-back singles by Stefini Ma’ake and Paige Sinicki put two on base for Kedre Luschar, who brought them home with a one-out, three-run blast to left-center field that put the Ducks up 7-1.
Oregon put the next batters on when Katie Flannery was hit by a pitch and Kaylynn Jones singled to left.
Sophomore catcher Braiesey Rosa came up and drove a pitch down the left-field line for a RBI double that scored pinch-runner Regan Legg from second and moved Jones to third. It was Rosa’s first hit as a Duck in 17 career at-bats.
One batter later, Kai Luschar ended the game with her single.
Loyola Chicago ended Oregon’s string of 17 scoreless innings when Ali Pawlowicz hit a solo home run in the second inning off Taylour Spencer (3-1) – the only hit she allowed in five innings of relief of starter Rowan Thompson, who walked the first two batters.
“That kind of lit a fire under me for sure,” said Spencer, who got 10 straight outs after giving up the homer.
That one-run lead held up until the fourth when the Ducks scored three runs on a bases-loaded throwing error.
Oregon opened the tournament Friday with wins against San Diego and Portland by scores of 9-5 and 9-1, respectively.
On Saturday, the Ducks came back with a 6-0 win against San Diego as Lyndsey Grein (11-0) pitched a complete-game, three-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts to increase her NCAA-leading win total.
Also in the game, McCoy hit her team-leading ninth home run.
Oregon then defeated Loyola Chicago 8-0 in six innings as Elise Sokolsky pitched a three-hit shutout with six strikeouts.
“I think our pitching staff took a lot of the strain on this weekend,” Marder said. “I was really proud of how they led in that way. They said, ‘We’re going to be good, we want the ball, we’re gonna lead our team,’ and I was really proud of that.”
What’s next for the Oregon softball team
The Ducks remain home for the Jane Sanders Classic, which includes two games against No. 9 Florida State and one against Oregon State – the first of three nonconference games against the Beavers this season, and the only one in Eugene.
Oregon plays the Seminoles at 6 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. They play Oregon State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The Ducks will also play Abilene Christian at 5 p.m. Sunday and 10:30 a.m. Monday next week.
Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at chansen@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @chansen_RG
Watch: Who’s on the 2025 Oregon Ducks softball schedule?
Oregon Ducks softball’s 2025 opponents and first pitch times.
Rep Ed Diehl talks lawsuit against Oregon over moving gas tax vote
Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Scio, a leader of the Oregon gas tax referendum, talks about a lawsuit against the state over moving the date of the referendum vote.
Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read will not have to accept arguments on the gas tax referendum that were not submitted by the state’s March 12 deadline, a federal judge decided.
U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon’s March 20 ruling is a second blow to the referendum’s chief petitioners: Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, gubernatorial candidate Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Scio, and Jason Williams, founder of the Taxpayers Association of Oregon, whose attempt to keep the vote in November was shot down in Marion County District Court.
The litigation by supporters of the gas tax referendum began after Democratic lawmakers passed, and Gov. Tina Kotek signed, Senate Bill 1599 to move the vote on the gas tax and other transportation costs from the November election to May.
Submitting arguments for the voters’ pamphlet required paying $1,200 or the collection of 500 signatures.
The gas tax referendum leaders’ federal suit, joined by four individuals and unidentified people whose signature submissions were not accepted for the ballot, argued Read violated the First and 14th amendments of the U.S. Constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act by enforcing the deadline for voters’ pamphlet submissions.
The lawsuit mirrors another suit Simon heard March 11. In those arguments, ahead of the deadline, Simon found there was a potential ADA problem because someone without disabilities would have two pathways to submit signatures, where someone who could not physically collect signatures would only have one.
Simon allowed Mary Martin, a disabled and low-income woman, to submit her argument without the signatures or paying the fee, but noted she must still meet the deadline.
The ruling has no effect on the 35 arguments that are already included in the voters’ pamphlet.
Simon declined to allow the submissions that missed the deadline to be added to the pamphlet in part because only one plaintiff stated they were disabled and none, he said, clearly outlined the extent of their financial situations.
“The Legislature interfered with the referendum process, changed the rules midstream, and 52 Oregonians lost their voice. And today, the court sided with the political class over the people,” Diehl told the Statesman Journal.
In a statement, Read expressed appreciation for the speed of the decision and urged Oregon voters to be on the lookout for voters’ pamphlets and ballots in the mail.
Voters will weigh in on whether to increase the gas tax and other transportation costs in the May 19 election.
A written decision from Simon was expected later on March 20.
Anastasia Mason covers state government for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at acmason@statesmanjournal.com or 971-208-5615.
March Madness is underway and college basketball’s big dance continues with No. 8 seed Oregon taking on No. 9 seed Virginia Tech in a First Round matchup on Friday, March 20. Here’s everything you need to know to tune in for the clash between the Hokies and Ducks.
USA TODAY Sports has a team of journalists covering women’s March Madness to keep you up to date with every point scored, rebound grabbed and game won in the 68-team tournament.
USA TODAY Studio IX: Check out our women’s sports hub for in-depth analysis, commentary and more
Join the USA TODAY $1 million Bracket Challenge
What time is Virginia Tech vs Oregon First Round game?
No. 8 Oregon vs No. 9 Virginia Tech tips off at 1:30 PM (EST) on Friday, March 20 from Moody Center (Austin, Texas).
What channel is Virginia Tech vs Oregon First Round game?
No. 8 Oregon vs No. 9 Virginia Tech is airing live on ESPN2.
How to stream Virginia Tech vs Oregon First Round game
No. 8 Oregon vs No. 9 Virginia Tech is available to stream on Fubo.
Watch the NCAA Tournament all March long with Fubo
Women’s March Madness schedule today
See the schedule, live scores and resultsfor all of Friday’s NCAA Tournament action here.
2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament full schedule
- March 18-19: First Four
- March 20-21: First Round
- March 22-23: Second Round
- March 27-28: Sweet 16
- March 29-30: Elite 8
- April 3: Final Four
- April 5: National Championship
Join the USA TODAY Survivor Pool to win cash prizes
Players to watch in the 2026 Women’s NCAA March Madness Tournament
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg and Meghan Hall give a few of their favorite players they will be keeping an eye on in the women’s March Madness tournament.
Sports Seriously
AUSTIN — Save your gripes about NCAA referees. Oregon women’s basketball guard Katie Fiso contended with much more hostile officiating conditions in her driveway.
Fiso grew up playing one-on-one against her twin brother in games so competitive that punches were sometimes thrown. As referee, their dad swallowed his whistle.
The family motto? “You don’t see no blood, there’s no foul,” Fiso said with a grin.
As Fiso stood outside Oregon’s locker room on Thursday and reminisced on those driveway battles, she admitted she never thought she’d be here: Putting together a breakout sophomore season and leading the No. 8 seed Ducks into a first-round NCAA Tournament game against No. 9 seed Virginia Tech on Friday.
It’s a bittersweet moment for Fiso, whose eyes fill with tears when she thinks of two people who aren’t here to witness it. Last winter, in the middle of Fiso’s freshman season at Oregon, her dad and her grandfather died within two weeks of each other.
Their memories will inspire Fiso when she takes the court for the Ducks this week.
“Basketball has always been an outlet for me, kind of like (to) get away from all this reality. When I step off the court, it’s like I step into the reality and realize he’s not here no more,” Fiso said. “I have a lot of passion for this game because I love it so much, so that’s where I get my love from. I do it for my dad, I do it for my grandpa, I do it for all these people, I do it for my family. So it’s very intentional when I’m on the court. I don’t take any moment for granted.”
Her father, Joseph Fiso was the one who taught Katie and her five siblings the value of hard work and grittiness on the basketball court. He woke them up at 6 a.m. every Saturday to go to the YMCA, where Katie played against boys much older than her and learned to stand her ground.
“I would always get pushed around, I would always get crowded so hard and my dad was like, ‘Hey, go harder at her!’” Fiso recalled. “Like, I would be in here getting D’d up by these old men. But I didn’t realize that it actually was helping me over time, in the long run.”
On Dec. 4, 2025, Joseph was in Eugene to attend Katie’s game. The morning of Oregon’s matchup against Washington State, Joseph Fiso died in his sleep at the hotel.
Grief threatened to swallow Katie whole. Basketball was a reminder of everything she and her dad shared.
Almost immediately after she found out about his death, Fiso got back in the gym to shoot hoops and clear her mind. She bawled her eyes out. Being on the court was at once painful and a relief, but Fiso learned to use the sport to tap into her emotions instead of to escape from them.
“I was definitely second-guessing myself and my worth,” Fiso said. “My mind was all over the place. Trying to be in the game and also dealing with life stuff was definitely difficult. So I took it upon myself over the summer to work on myself and not keep all those feelings inside, actually feel them. So that’s when I tapped in a lot to my faith and it gave me that confidence, that my worth is not in this basketball because it’s so fleeting and up and down, but it’s in someone who is always gonna love me and say ‘It’s OK, you’re always perfect in my eyes.’”
After playing 9.7 minutes per game and averaging 3.1 points off the bench for Oregon as a freshman, Fiso is now a full-time starter who leads Oregon in average minutes (32), points (15.3) and assists (6.3).
She’s playing with new confidence that accentuates the Ducks’ depth and allows her to feel free on the court. When she makes a mistake, she brushes it off and realizes that it doesn’t determine who she is as a basketball player.
“It’s a blessing to be here in this spot,” Fiso said. “Not a lot of people get this opportunity to be at this stage and play at this high level, so I’m thankful. I feel like all those days I was playing with my brothers and playing with my siblings, it helped me prepare for moments like this.”
Oregon coach Kelly Graves has known Fiso since her older brother was a practice player for Graves’ Gonzaga team. Graves followed Fiso’s career at Garfield High School in Seattle, where she won three state championships – a fourth was in reach before the pandemic prematurely ended the season – and was voted Washington state’s Gatorade Player of the Year.
Graves already knew Fiso’s potential when she arrived in Eugene, but he didn’t fully see it emerge until a breakout game at the end of her freshman season. In the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Fiso shot 4-of-6 from the field and scored eight points in 19 minutes in Oregon’s first-round win against Vanderbilt.
From there, Fiso only continued to build.
“I think once she realized, ‘Hey, this is kind of my team,’ you saw how she embraced that role,” Graves said. “Even though she’s just a sophomore, she’s the one that’s leading the group. She’s leading the huddles, leading practice, and that’ s not easy for someone her age, but she’s got it in her.”
Fiso is one of several Oregon players who adjusted to new roles this season. Sophomore forward Ehis Etute, the nation’s No. 2 offensive rebounder, and junior guard Ari Long both stepped into the starting lineup after coming off the bench last season. So did junior guard Sofia Bell, who spent last season getting her rhythm back after an injury curtailed her freshman season. Senior forward Mia Long, a transfer from Fresno State, is new to the program but provides a veteran presence.
“Our players have done a pretty good job of not just accepting their roles necessarily, because they can evolve and change, but executing them,” Graves said. “These are homegrown kids that again, didn’t play much. You look at Katie and Ehis, they had very small roles last year. Ari, a supportive role. Sofia Bell to some degree. And that’s four of our five starters so I’m proud of that. They have developed, they have gotten better, they figured out what they need to do to get playing time and they’re making the most of it.”
Fiso deftly balances her scoring responsibilities with slinging dart passes to her teammates. She ranked second nationally with seven points-assists double-doubles this season, the most by a Duck since Sabrina Ionescu in 2019-20.
“I would say I’m more of a finesse, get downhill type of girl, but I’m also a playmaker,” Fiso said. “I got a little swag in my game.”
Graves said Fiso shares intangibles with two of the prolific point guards he’s coached, Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot.
“She’s got that same mentality and I think that’s why you’re seeing her succeed now,” Graves said. “But she’s still a work in progress. She’s got a long ways to go and she’s going to continue to get better and better, but she’s going to have a great pro future, I think.”
A Georgia appeals court rules Fulton County can reject GOP election board picks
Over 5,500 told to evacuate flooding in Hawaii as officials warn 120-year-old dam could fail
Idaho man sentenced for child sex abuse material, including AI-generated images, AG says
Arlington Heights mayor says Springfield needs to get Bears stadium deal done in next two weeks
Absentee ballots can be mailed out, judge rules, in Trump-endorsed Indiana Senate race
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Pritzker pushes prosecutions of Trump officials as part of Dem ‘Project 2029’ agenda
Iran’s Khamenei says enemy ‘defeated’ in written Nowruz message
Gold Trump coin moves forward after Treasury invokes rare authority
Meet the longtime biz partner of Ilhan Omar’s husband as questions swirl over her skyrocketing net worth
‘Nobody can blackmail us’: Leaders excoriate Orbán’s veto
-
Detroit, MI2 days agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Oklahoma6 days agoFamily rallies around Oklahoma father after head-on crash
-
Nebraska1 week agoWildfire forces immediate evacuation order for Farnam residents
-
Georgia5 days agoHow ICE plans for a detention warehouse pushed a Georgia town to fight back | CNN Politics
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMassachusetts community colleges to launch apprenticeship degree programs – The Boston Globe
-
Alaska5 days agoPolice looking for man considered ‘armed and dangerous’
-
Colorado1 week ago‘It’s Not a Penalty’: Bednar Rips Officials For MacKinnon Ejection | Colorado Hockey Now
-
Southwest1 week agoTalarico reportedly knew Colbert interview wouldn’t air on TV before he left to film it