By Aiden Hess
EUGENE - The Oregon Ducks baseball team completed an improbable 9-8 comeback win in walk off fashion Friday night at PK Park taking Game 1 of the Super Regional round.
For the first time since 2012, PK Park is serving as one of the eight host venues for the Super Regional round of the NCAA Baseball Postseason. Eleven years ago, Ducks’ fans saw their team fall one game short of a College World Series appearance as Oregon lost two of three to Kent State with all three of the games being decided by one run. Following tonight’s dramatic win, the Ducks are now just one win away from making their first return to Omaha since 1954.
Left-handed pitcher Grayson Grinsell started the game on the mound for the Ducks and was met with the cheers of a ruckus Oregon crowd after striking out the first two ORU batters to begin the ballgame. Grinsell however, after posting two scoreless innings ran into trouble in the third, a walk to the ninth batter in the Golden Eagles order Blaze Brothers set the table for a monstrous eight run offensive outburst. The top of the third inning saw ORU send a total of 12 batters to the plate highlighted by a 3-run home run by right fielder Matt Hogan and a bases clearing single by leadoff hitter Jake McMurray who was taking his second at-bat in the frame putting the visitors squarely in front from the early going.
On the other side, righty Jakob Hall was given the game one start for ORU and began the game twirling two perfect innings. The top of the third inning left Hall waiting in the dugout for approximately 45 minutes as his offense provided 8 runs of support. The extended duration of waiting proved to be a factor as in Oregon’s half of the third, Ducks’ first baseman Jacob Walsh took the first pitch of the inning from Hall out of the yard to deep left field putting Oregon on the board 8-1. A couple of pitches later and Oregon catcher Bennett Thompson one-upped his teammate Walsh with a solo-shot of his own off the scoreboard in left. The Ducks were unable to cut into the lead any further when shortstop Drew Cowley grounded into an inning ending double play keeping the score at 8-2.
In their next at-bats, the Ducks got right back to work as Thompson saw another ball clear the fence off of his bat for the second time in as many innings. This time with two runners on and two men out, Thompson deposited a 3-run home run over the Golden Eagles bullpen down the left field line. With one swing of the bat, the Ducks found themselves back in the ballgame now trailing 8-5 while also reigniting the energy of the fans in attendance. The Oregon bullpen kept Oral Roberts' offense quiet in the middle innings with arm efforts from Ian Umlandt who threw 1.1 innings of scoreless relief and Logan Mercado who complimented that with three frames of shutout ball.
Another home run in the 6th off the bat of Freshman Designated Hitter Drew Smith got the Ducks one run closer to eclipsing the deficit now standing at 8-6. The bottom of the 7th inning was where the tides really started to turn for Oregon. After a catcher’s interference allowed Ducks’ leadoff man Rikku Nishida to go down to first base followed up by another error the very next batter, Drew Cowley hit an RBI single to make the score 8-7 and Oregon’s all time hits leader Tanner Smith knocked in the tying-run evening up the game at eight a piece. Both relievers Matt Dallas and Josh Mollerus were both able to hold scoreless serve in the 8th and 9th innings that allowed the Ducks an opportunity to complete a crazy comeback win in walkoff style.
After just eight pitchers were thrown from ORU reliever Corey Denton, Gavin Grant and Rikku Nishida stood at their respective second and first bases. A bunt bid was put down by Ducks’ center fielder Bryce Boetcherr in an attempt to advance both baserunners into scoring position, but the Golden Eagles were able to cut down the lead runner at third for a force out. That left the same situation up to Drew Cowley who came up clutch on the biggest stage. Cowley ripped a 2-1 count pitch through the right side of the infield to score Nishida from second and cap off an incredible comeback victory in Game 1 of the best of three series.
The Ducks will look to punch their ticket to Omaha and the College World Series for the first time in program history since the only time they’ve done it back in 1954. First pitch is set for 6 PM local time on Saturday June, 10th at PK Park.