Records are nice, but wins are better. The No.16-ranked Oregon Ducks (26-11, 13-7 Big Ten) continued their showdown with No. 10-ranked UCLA Bruins on Sunday. UCLA and Oregon entered this series finale with one win apiece — but the Ducks exited with the series win.
Oregon took Game 1 of the series with a 1-2 score, behind a complete game masterclass from ace Grayson Grinsell. Game 2 of the series wasn’t nearly as close. The Bruins scored 10 runs in the seventh and eighth innings to enforce a run-rule win: 14-4.
“After the way yesterday ended,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said, “We were ashamed of the way we went about it at the end of that ball game.”
As the Ducks searched for their second-ranked win of the season, senior RHP Jason Reitz took the mound. The San Jose native was coming off the best start of his career at Maryland. Reitz tossed seven IP and struck out 11 batters. The 6-foot-11 starter had marginal success through five IP today, allowing four runs, only three earned.
An extended outing from Reitz was much needed. Oregon expended five different arms out of the bullpen in an attempt to slow down UCLA’s game two slugfest. There wasn’t much luck in slowing the Bruins down yesterday, and today the Ducks had to work with a very depleted bullpen.
“He battled through,” Wasikowski said. “He didn’t have to go out there in that last inning of work and finish the way he did, with a strikeout on the last hitter. At close to pitch 100.”
The bullpen issues have been no secret for the Oregon Ducks. Struggles with consistency and execution in high-leverage moments have been costing Oregon all year long. After those same issues plagued game two and forced an arm shortage, the trend has to change for the Ducks’ bullpen.
Electric offense will only get you so far in baseball — bats will get cold eventually. If you don’t have pitching on the other side, teams will walk all over you. Teams at the level Oregon aspires to play at are consistent on both sides of the ball.
The Ducks’ offense doesn’t look like it will slow down anytime soon. Center fielder Mason Neville hit his 18th and 19th home runs of the season in this series. Those dingers tied and then broke the single-season program record, previously held by senior first baseman Jacob Walsh.
Oregon’s starting pitching appears to be warming up at the right time. Outings like Reitz’s today will only help the Ducks build confidence. Allowing just three earned runs to a top 10-ranked team is an excellent outing, but an excellent outing needs to be reinforced by the relievers, something we haven’t seen this year.
Going so deep into the bullpen to try and salvage Saturday’s game two forced Oregon into sending out the long relief/midweek starter junior LHP Ian Umlandt. The southpaw held his own against the elite UCLA offense for 2 1/3 innings before facing some trouble and allowing the Bruins to tie the game in the 8th inning.
The problem isn’t Ian Umlandt. In fact, he pitched great, but he just found himself in an uncomfortable situation and allowed a couple of runs. The problem is that Oregon’s bullpen doesn’t have enough consistent and reliable options.
“I don’t have a clubhouse with a bunch of happy guys right now,” Wasikowski said when reflecting on the win. “They just think they’re better than their record, and at times we haven’t shown it, and they know that.”
The Ducks sure think they have all the pieces, and they might. But right now, they’re still trying to put the puzzle together and find the recipe for success as the postseason inches nearer.
Pitchers like sophomore RHP Cole Stokes, in particular, have really struggled the last couple of weeks. Stokes began the year as a premier reliever for the Ducks and seemed to have claimed the closer title. The 6-foot-6 reliever’s ERA currently sits at 4.91. Not the worst, but definitely not ideal for a team trying to claim a College World Series title.
Oregon’s bullpen looks to improve, and the starters look to stay consistent during the next series, an in-state clash with No. 6-ranked rival Oregon State. The Beavers have been a top ten team for almost all of this season and will pose another difficult matchup for the Ducks.
The Ducks’ next mid-week matchup is a rematch with the Portland Pilots, who were able to kick Oregon while they were down earlier this season, pushing their losing streak to three. The Ducks and Pilots will square off on Tuesday, with the first pitch set for 5:05 p.m.