No. 14 Oregon Eliminated by Saint Mary’s in Shocking NCAA Softball Tournament Upset
Lynsey Grein stood at the dugout railing, trying to rally her team to a victory.
The senior pitcher has been the backbone of the Oregon pitching staff all year, and due to an eye infection, was unavailable for the Eugene Regional.
Wearing a patch over her left eye, she watched as the Saint Mary's Gaels rallied to win their second game of the day and eliminate the Ducks on their home field.
Not having Grein was tough but the Oregon offense scored four runs in two games on Saturday.
"For us, it was about getting it done to give Lyndsey an opportunity to pitch again at the Super Regional," UO coach Melyssa Lombardi said. "I mean, that's all we talked about, that's all we wanted. We gave it everything we've got, and you know, sometimes things just don't go your way."
After getting no-hit by Mississippi State to start play on Saturday, the Ducks and Gaels battled through a downpour and exchanged big play after big play, but it was Odhi Vasquez who picked up her 21st win of the season, tying the single-season program record.
The West Coast Conference's Pitcher of the Year held the Ducks to just one run and two hits across the final 3.1 innings of play. Combined with a four-run fourth, the Gaels found just enough offense to its second postseason win in program history, joining the men's basketball team as the only two programs to have multiple NCAA Tournament wins.
OH WHAT A NIGHT!
— Saint Mary's Softball (@GaelsSoftball) May 17, 2026
FROM NO WINS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT COMING INTO THE DAY, TO TWO AND A TRIP TO THE REGIONAL FINAL IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE!#GaelsRise @WCCsports @NCAASoftball @D1Softball pic.twitter.com/Kgw7uC97MA
Coming into Saturday, the Gaels had never won an NCAA Tournament game.
The momentum shifted when the Gaels loaded the bases on a ball that bounced out of Oregon left fielder Amari Harper's glove. A ground ball that careened off Ducks first baseman Stefini Ma'ake's glove allowed two runs to score. A bunt loaded the bases again and a two-RBI single from Camille Lara gave the Gaels their first lead of the ballgame.
A bases loaded walk to Taryn Ho tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the fifth.
The Gaels mounted a two-out rally in the bottom half, when Kiah Silva singled and Tori Cervantes tripled to retake the lead, 5-4.
B5 | SMC 5 - UO 4
— Saint Mary's Softball (@GaelsSoftball) May 17, 2026
TORI TRIPLES TO RIGHT AND THE GAELS ARE BACK IN FRONT! KIAH SILVA COMES INTO SCORE ON THE PLAY!
COMING DOWN TO THE WIRE ON @espn #GaelsRise @WCCsports @NCAASoftball @D1Softball pic.twitter.com/x6W7BXngFY
Oregon had the tying run on base in both the sixth and seventh inning but a diving play by Saint Mary's second baseman Alex Cutonilli ended the game.
FINAL | SMC 5 - UO 4
— Saint Mary's Softball (@GaelsSoftball) May 17, 2026
THE GAELS ARE HEADED THE EUGENE REGIONAL FINALS!
CATCH IT ALL ON @espn #GaelsRise @WCCsports @NCAASoftball @D1Softball pic.twitter.com/o6S9ke8Kkq
"I'm just heartbroken," Lombardi said. "I love this team. Everything we've asked from them all year long, they've given to us and have never wavered. … Obviously, we want to win. We gave our heart and soul out there, and it just didn't go our way."
Add us as a preferred source on Google-1d7db99dccc9abef7b9378f016b22b68.webp "Maren Angus-Coombs")
Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.