Oregon softball beats Northwestern via Big Ten travel schedule
· Yahoo Sports
Northwestern softball defeated No. 17 Oregon on Thursday in a game called early due to run rule. Saturday saw the Ducks win a game called early, for very different reasons.
As the clock struck 3 p.m. CT in Evanston, Oregon took a 4-2 win due to a drop-dead time for their travel schedule. With the win, they take the three-game series and improve their record to 26-9 (7-2 Big Ten).
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The Wildcats did not exactly sound thrilled with the ending.
With the tying run at the plate, one out, we've reached a drop-dead time due to Oregon's travel...
— Northwestern Softball (@NUSBcats) March 28, 2026
FINAL | #17 Oregon 4, Northwestern 2 https://t.co/2fNMlMHoJ9
The view from the other side, meanwhile.
Ducks win it in six!#GoDucks | #Version♾️ pic.twitter.com/ZIa45JEjkJ
— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) March 28, 2026
Before the game was called, the Ducks had gone up 7-3 in the seventh inning, only for Northwestern to load the bases with one out. As the Oregon athletics website explains it, the time limit for the game was mutually agreed upon, and NCAA rules cause the official score to revert back to the final completed inning.
Therefore, the score became 4-2 again, as it had been at the end of the sixth inning. From Oregon:
"It's unfortunate, because nobody wants a game to end like that," said coach Melyssa Lombardi. "That said, I liked our approach today. Our team battled and fought their way to win an important road series against a tough opponent."
When people wondered how a Big Ten conference spanning coast-to-coast would impact athletics, this is some of the stuff the worriers had in mind.