No-Hitter Against Mississippi State Puts Oregon's Season in Jeopardy

Less than 24 hours after a thrilling win in their NCAA Tournament opener, the Oregon Ducks returned to Jane Sanders Stadium looking to secure a spot in the Eugene Regional final.

Oregon fell to the Mississippi State Bulldogs 4-0, following a two-run top of the first inning. Bulldogs pitcher Alyssa Faircloth pitched a no-hitter, and the Ducks could never find their offense.

Mississippi State is on to Sunday's Eugene Regional final and awaits the winner of Saturday night's third game. The Ducks will play the winner of the Idaho State Bengals vs. the Saint Mary's Gaels at approximately 7 p.m. PT to try to keep their season alive.

Below is a rundown of the game. The latest updates are at the top.

oregon ducks softball melyssa lombardi lyndsey grein ayanna shaw ncaa tournament mississippi state bulldogs eugene regional — Oregon pitcher Taylour Spencer celebrates a strikeout as the Oregon Ducks host the Idaho State Bengals in an NCAA regional on May 15, 2026, at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

FINAL: OREGON 0 - MISSISSIPPI STATE 4

BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH: OREGON 0 – MISSISSIPPI STATE 4

- Cox flies out to center field and the ball game ends. Faircloth completes the no-hitter (7.0 IP, 1 BB, 0 H, 10 K) and Oregon’s first since 2023.

- Ma’ake strikes out swinging on three pitches to put Oregon down to its final out.

- Harper was the only player to reach in the game via a walk. She strikes out swinging to lead Oregon’s rally efforts.

TOP OF THE SEVENTH: OREGON 0 - MISSISSIPPI STATE 4

- The Ducks get the 1-2-3 inning and look to have that momentum carry over to the bottom of the inning. Keller grounds out to shortstop.

- Romero grounds out to Milhorn the pitcher.

- Flannery from the hot corner ground out Barbary.

BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH: OREGON 0 – MISSISSIPPI STATE 4

- Butler strikes out swinging. Faircloth is up to her eighth strike out. Oregon is down to its final three outs.

- Flannery flies out to center field.

- Addison Amaral pinch hits but strikes out swinging.

TOP OF THE SIXTH: OREGON 0 - MISSISSIPPI STATE 4

- Grassel strikes out swinging, as two are left stranded.

- Stiles reaches for the fourth time in four at-bats. A single through the left side advances Sells to second.

- Rivera lines out to short stop.

- Richardson fouls out to Ma’ake at first off the bunt.

- Sells walks on five pitches to reach first.

BOTTOM OF THE FIFTH: OREGON 0 – MISSISSIPPI STATE 4

- The no-hitter continues, with Sells diving to catch Shaw’s would-be hit.

- McCoy strikes out looking. Faircloth gets her sixth strikeout.

- Jones strikes out swinging.

TOP OF THE FIFTH: OREGON 0 - MISSISSIPPI STATE 4

- Milhorn strikes out Silva swinging on the full count.

- Jones tracks down Keller’s hit at right field.

- Milhorn drills Romero with the pitch to put one on.

- Barbary grounds out to short stop.

BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH: OREGON 0 – MISSISSIPPI STATE 4

- Cox strikes out swinging. Faircloth is currently pitching a no-hitter.

- Ma’ake lined out to center field on a hard-hit ball. Oregon continues to struggle offensively.

- Harper strikes out swinging.

TOP OF THE FOURTH: OREGON 0 - MISSISSIPPI STATE 4

Ally Supan pinch runs for Carder. Grassel flies out to left field.

Stiles draws the four pitch walk and advances Carder to second.

Anna Carder pinch hits for Rivera and Abby G. Richardson pinch runs for Ernstes. Carder reaches on a fielder’s choice, and Richardson is out at second.

Ernstes makes it four. She singles up the middle to score Silva.

Tatum Silva pinch runs for Bernardini. Silva advances to second on a wild pitch. Sells is out at first after Milhorn, Ho and Ma’ake connect on the play, but Silva advances to third.

Bernardini singles up the middle to lead off the fourth.

BOTTOM OF THE THIRD: OREGON 0 – MISSISSIPPI STATE 3

- Butler was initially called safe at first after speeding past the Bulldogs, but the officials overcall the play and say she’s tagged out.

- Flannery grounds out to Stiles, the short stop.

- Ho strikes out swinging on three pitches.

TOP OF THE THIRD: OREGON 0 - MISSISSIPPI STATE 3

- Keller reaches on a fielder’s choice and Milhorn ends the inning.

- The Ducks make a pitching change. Maddie Milhorn enters in relief of Sokolsky (2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K).

- Another double down the right field line, this time by Romero, scores Stiles.

- Flannery makes a huge play to extend her glove and ground out Barbary. After a review, the calling of a fair ball stands.

- Grassel grounds out to first after her 2 RBI shot on her first at bat. Stiles advances to third base.

- Stiles leads off the third with a double to right center.

BOTTOM OF THE SECOND: OREGON 0 – MISSISSIPPI STATE 2

- Sokolosky and Faircloth trade clean frames. Shaw strikes out swinging and is out at first after hitting the grand slam on Friday night.

- The Ducks continue to search for a hit, as McCoy flies out to center field.

- Jones flies out to left field on the second pitch.

TOP OF THE SECOND: OREGON 0 - MISSISSIPPI STATE 2

- Sokolosky gets the 1-2-3 inning as Rivera grounds out to third.

- Ernstes grounds out to third base.

- Sells lines out to left field.

BOTTOM OF THE FIRST: OREGON 0 – MISSISSIPPI STATE 2

- Cox fouls out to catcher as the inning ends.

- Ma’ake fouls out to third base.

- Harper draws the walk to reach first base.

- Butler grounds out on the bunt.

TOP OF THE FIRST: OREGON 0 - MISSISSIPPI STATE 2

- Sokolsky strikes out Bernardini to limit the Bulldogs to two runs.

- Keller sends it down the left field line to get the two-out double.

- Butler dives to record the out against Romero at right field.

- Sokolsky recovers by striking out Barbary.

- The Bulldogs take an early lead. Grassel earns her first homer of the season for the 2 RBI shot.

- Elise Sokolsky starts inside the circle for Oregon. Stiles reaches first base via a four-pitch walk.

LINEUPS

OREGON DUCKS

Elon Butler
Amari Harper
Stefini Ma’ake
Emma Cox
Kaylynn Jones
Rylee McCoy
Ayanna Shaw
Taryn Ho
Katie Flannery
Elise Sokolsky

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS

Morgan Stiles
Gretta Grassel
Nadia Barbary
Xiane Romero
Kinley Keller
Morgan Bernardini
Kiarra Sells
Paige Ernstes
Des Rivera
Alyssa Faircloth

PREVIEW

Ayanna Shaw Leads Oregon Ducks to Day 1 Victory

The Ducks got off to a rocky beginning to their postseason, going down 1-0 to the Idaho State Vandals at the top of the first inning. A five-run bottom of the fourth inning delivered the victory for the Ducks.

Redshirt sophomore outfielder Ayanna Shaw ended up being the hero for Oregon. With the bases loaded, Shaw stepped up to the plate and launched a shot to right field to get the grand slam.

Oregon scored one more run in the fourth inning and in the game. Following a pitching change, catcher Emma Cox had a sacrifice fly that drove in Katie Flannery and gave the Ducks a little bit more insurance.

Oregon Ducks Ace Lyndsey Grein Availability in Question

The Oregon pitching played a huge role in the team’s first win of the postseason. The performance was especially impressive considering that ace Lyndsey Grein was unavailable.

It was the duo of Taylour Spencer and Elise Sokolsky inside the circle that limited the Bengals. The veteran pitchers combined for nine strikeouts and gave up only five hits and one run.

Grein missed Friday’s game with an infection in her eye and is listed as day-to-day for the rest of the weekend. She didn’t suit up with the vision in her left eye impacted, and was seen in the dugout with her eye covered. Oregon coach Melyssa Lombardi confirmed her status after the game.

"If you look at this entire year, we've had to take on strain at different times of the year," Lombardi said. "To watch these guys do that for her, we knew these guys were ready to go, but we're going to be even that much more ready to go knowing that they've got a teammate that was down tonight."

The Bulldogs should be a challenging opponent for the Ducks’ pitching staff. If Grein misses her second game in a row, the pressure will continue to mount on Oregon’s bullpen.

What’s Next in the NCAA Eugene Regional

The Ducks vs. Bulldogs matchup will be followed by a game between Idaho State and Saint Mary’s. The loser of that game’s postseason will come to an end, while the winner will play on Saturday night.

The winner of Oregon vs. Mississippi State secures a spot in Sunday’s final, which is set to start at approximately 4:30 p.m. PT. The loser of this game will play the winner of Saint Mary’s vs. Idaho State, with the winner of that game playing in the final.

The two teams playing in the Eugene Regional on Sunday will play for their season and to head to the Super Regionals.

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