Maryland Softball hasn’t shown much reason to believe it can compete with ranked teams this season. But on Saturday afternoon, it entered extra innings against No. 18 Oregon. 

Everyone at Maryland Softball Stadium knew the stakes of the game going into extra innings. Anxiety on both sides was through the roof. Tension filled the air. 

That tension turned to elation for Oregon fans when pitcher Lyndsey Grein delivered the final pitch, sealing the Terps’ 4-3 loss in eight innings. 

The Terps were on the brink of the biggest upset in the Lauren Karn era. They had only one ranked win under Karn: a victory over No. 21 California in February 2025. 

Amid another disappointing season, Saturday offered a chance for Maryland (14-25, 1-16 Big Ten) to earn a statement win. The Terps entered the day with just one win in Big Ten play. A win in the record books would do a lot for team morale. 

“These athletes came here to compete against the best teams in the country, and so not to take that opportunity lightly, and to attack the opportunity was really important,” said Karn. 

In the fifth inning, Oregon (30-9, 11-2 Big Ten) made a pitching change, putting their ace back in the circle for her second appearance in as many days. 

Grein shut the Terps out on Friday, pitching four innings and delivering eight strikeouts. Karn praised her skill, but said she was beatable. 

But Maryland did not back up its coach’s statement. It didn’t manage a single hit against Grein, only reaching base once on a fielding error.

Maryland had scored three runs off the Ducks starter Taylour Spencer. Its offensive identity all year has been small ball: bunts, sac flies, and capitalizing on their opponent’s mistakes. 

That was not the case Saturday afternoon. 

After going down by two in the fourth inning, Zayda Rocke responded with a two-run homer straight over the center field wall.

Aspects of Maryland’s small ball game added to their big swings. A sac fly scored the Terps’ first run of the game, and they found ways to get runners on base. 

“I think our energy was much better from last night’s game coming into today’s warm-ups,” Karn said. “That translated to the game early on, and I think it lifted our confidence a little bit.” 

Not only was the offense clicking, but the defense was backing them up much better than in Friday’s game. 

Maryland starter Keira Bucher was playing one of her best games to date in her fourth start of the season. Outside of a tough fourth inning where she gave up three runs, Bucher was dealing. She threw a complete 8-inning game, throwing 157 pitches, keeping the powerful Oregon batters at bay. 

“She was able to keep the ball in the park, which is huge for us, keep them off balance. And so when she’s doing that, and she doesn’t look like she’s losing command, we’re gonna ride her as long as we can,” Karn said. 

Oregon managed only seven hits, and strong winds kept balls in play, preventing it from swinging for the fences and keeping the score low. 

After scoring eleven runs and hitting two home runs, Oregon only managed one double, let alone hitting anything over the back wall. 

Although they couldn’t quite get it done, the Terps impressed in what seemed like an experimental game. 

Maryland had already debuted a new batting order on Friday. On Saturday, Karn made two temporary changes in the batting order. She replaced Caroline Fox with Sage Rodmyre and sent out pinch hitter Jaylee Williams for Gracie Wilson. 

The changes didn’t spark much of anything in the bottom of the order, but Karn’s willingness to make adjustments — especially since she hasn’t made many this season — is a good sign for Maryland’s approach for the final stretch of the season. 

With Saturday’s loss, Maryland now must win at least five of its last seven Big Ten games if they want any chance at playing in the Big Ten tournament.