At the top of the ninth inning of the Sunday, Apr. 27 rivalry weekend finale, the No. 13 ranked Oregon Ducks (30-12, 14-7 Big Ten) were one out away from a sweep of their in-state rival, the No. 3 ranked Oregon State Beavers (32-10).
It was sophomore left-handed closer Santiago Garcia on the bump in a crucial spot. He had gotten the previous batter out on one pitch, but staring him down was Beavers’ junior right fielder Easton Talt, one of the stars of the Oregon State crew.
Garcia paid no mind to the dominant hitter at the plate. After three pitches, Garcia said good morning, good afternoon and goodnight as he sat down the right fielder to secure the sweep. The sold-out PK Park popped with excitement as their Ducks pulled off the major 3-2 upset win over their rival.
“Two different umpires this weekend said this is the most incredible environment that they’ve been in on the entire west coast,” Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “If that’s what the umpires are feeling, that’s what the kids are feeling as well. So are the coaches. The energy the fans are bringing to the field is tremendous. We’re earning the respect of our fans.”
Sophomore shortstop Maddox Molony led the Oregon offense today, going 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
Oregon came into this one rolling as they butchered the Beavers 13-1 the day before. In that game, the Ducks scored nine runs in innings four through six, propelling them to the dominant win.
Junior right-handed pitcher Jason Reitz got the start for Oregon today with a 12:05 p.m. first pitch.
After a clean five straight outs to start Reitz’s outing, he lost control in the top of the second by walking three straight batters with two outs to load the bases. He worked the next batter to a full count, but couldn’t deliver with his back against the wall as he left the pitch high and the Beavers took a 1-0 lead. Reitz held strong by flying out the next batter to end the frame.
The streak of zeroes from the Oregon offense would come to an end at the bottom of the fourth when senior first baseman Jacob Walsh blasted the first pitch of the inning to right-center field. Walsh didn’t even have to look at it as the no-doubt jack tied things at one.
Oregon wasn’t done in the inning, as junior right fielder Drew Smith walked and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. The aggressive advancement of baserunners continued as Smith caught the Beavers off guard by stealing third. The run would come in anyway, as Molony singled to center field, giving Oregon the 2-1 lead.
Despite shaky moments, Reitz (5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 1 K and 84 TP) was able to salvage a solid start. His day ended in the top of the sixth as junior left-handed reliever Ian Umlandt took over.
A key insurance run was tacked on at the bottom of the sixth when Molony blistered a pitch deep to left field and into the Beaver bullpen. The solo shot made it 3-1, Ducks.
The Ducks’ pitching went five straight innings of zeroes with strong play from the defense behind them, but that would be broken up in the top of the eighth. With nobody out on a 1-1 count, Beavers junior shortstop Aiva Arquette launched a pitch that banged off the scoreboard and cut the Oregon lead to one.
That would be Umlandt’s last pitch of the game as he gave the ball to sophomore right-handed reliever Cole Stokes.
Oregon held strong as senior right-handed reliever Seth Mattox got the nod to close and replaced Stokes in the ninth.
Mattox would only last two batters. The first, he struck out to put the Ducks two outs away, but sophomore pinch hitter Levi Jones doubled off of him in the next at-bat. To counter the left-handed pinch hitter Oregon State sent up next, Garcia took the hill.
The young Garcia sealed the deal. His first batter grounded out on the first pitch he saw, then Garcia pumped three straight strikes to sit down Talt. The PK Park crowd ignited as the Ducks iced the three-game sweep against the in-state rival.
“I played free the whole time,” Garcia said. “I got rid of the outcome. Whatever happens, happens. I kind of just pitched and did my thing. We’re finally figuring out what we actually have and we’re putting it together, trusting our stuff.”
Also chipping in to the offense today was Walsh, who was 1-for-4 with a homer and an RBI.
“We come and play the same game every day,” Walsh said. “We face the same challenges every day. We have to keep our play on the field and get rid of external factors.”
The Ducks will take the hour drive north on Tuesday, Apr. 29, to face the same Beavers crew for the final game against the rivals in the regular season. That game is geared up for a 5:35 p.m. first pitch at Goss Stadium.