Ducks fall as Bruins salvage the series finale in extra innings
A sweep would have been nice, but the Oregon Ducks baseball team will have to settle for a 2-of-3 series win over UCLA.
The entire series went back and forth with Oregon claiming the first two games. But UCLA’s two runs in the 10th inning was just enough to hold off the Ducks for the 7-6 win in the weekend finale.
Even with the loss, Oregon is now tied with Oregon State on top of the Pac-12 standings as both teams hold a 10-5 record. The Ducks are now 24-9 overall as they look to host San Jose State for a short two-game set this week.
As with the first two games with the Bruins, the series wrap-up contest was a close one throughout. Oregon held a 2-1 lead going into the sixth inning when JT Schwartz hit a Brett Walker offering out over the rightfield fence into the Duck bullpen for the 3-2 lead.
Gavin Grant gave Oregon the lead right back with a single to center and it was the Ducks who were ahead 4-3. Tanner Smith later singled home Grant for the 5-3 advantage.
It was an advantage that didn’t last long, however.
UCLA scored one in the seventh and then tied the game when Matt McLain belted a solo homer center, a section of PK Park that doesn’t see the ball fly over the wall often.
The score stayed knotted up at 5-5 until Schwartz hammered his second home run of the day, a two-run shot to left-center. UCLA held a 7-5 lead, but the Duck, to their credit, didn’t go quietly into the night.
After Josh Kasevich lined out to begin the frame, Gabe Matthews doubled down the left-field line. Sam Novitske struck out for the second out, but Nick Bellafronto kept the game going with an infield hit. Tristan Hanoian drove in Matthews with a bunt single to make it 7-6. Unfortunately for the Ducks, Tanner Smith’s grounder to second ended the game.
With the conference season halfway finished, the Ducks are in prime position to possibly win the Pac-12. Oregon has already gone through the toughest part of its schedule. The remaining teams have a combined conference record of 27-45. Only Stanford has a winning Pac-12 mark of 8-4 and that three-game series will be at PK Park later in the year.
After the mid-week series with San Jose State, the Ducks will travel to Pullman to take on Washington State. Currently, the Cougars are 6-11 in Pac-12 play, but they have a winning record of 18-15.
