Written story by Jack McArthur
The first clash of the four-game series between Oregon and Seattle was a thrillingly entertaining game. Oregon’s sophomore second baseman Drew Smith had a game winning walk off hit in the bottom of the 10th inning. Smith’s clutch single down the third base line was his first walk-off as a Duck. The odds were stacked against Oregon entering the bottom of the 10th inning. Seattle’s late game rally in the 10th inning put them up big. Seattle led 4-1 at the top of the 10th. Redhawk’s senior third baseman crushed a ball past the left-center field wall, homering to put his team up by three. At the end of nine innings, Seattle led Oregon by three with a 4-1 score. The game started off slow. After two innings, the game remained scoreless. The Ducks led 1-0 after the third inning.
In the bottom of the third, Seattle’s starting pitcher, Jarek Woodward, threw a costly wild pitch. It advanced Bryce Boettcher and led to Carter Garate scoring, which put Oregon up by one. After five innings, Oregon’s Freund registered five K’s and no walks. Freund had an extremely impressive outing, in his first time starting on the mound for Oregon. The Redhawks tied the game 1-1 in the eighth by walking in a run. In the eighth inning, there was a weather delay due to lightning striking that lasted one hour. At 8:10 PM, play continued despite the downpour of rain at PK Park. Left-handed pitcher, Bradley Mullen, entered the game in the eighth inning, replacing Logan Mercado. Mullen lasted 1.2 innings, and was replaced by Matthew Grabmann, who got the win. Grabmann pitched the 10th and final inning.
Wednesday’s contest was deemed to be a low scoring game until after the weather delay in the eighth inning. The score was 1-1 after eight innings. The game continued at 8:10 PM, after a one hour weather delay due to lightning. Oregon players reportedly played Wiffle Ball during the 8th inning to remain calm and to stay mentally prepared during the lengthy weather delay. “We stayed loose and just had some good times with the guys,” said Smith. “It was a really intense game, and it was a close one. I think the lightning delay made us settle down a little bit.” Smith additionally mentioned how it was fun to be able to stay loose and relax in the practice facility during the delay. Drew Smith had a great game and finished going three for four.
Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski didn’t believe that the delay helped his team refocus at all. “No, I don’t think inclement weather helps. It’s just part of what happens and both teams have to deal with it,” said Wasikowski. “It’s equal at least for both teams.” The Ducks just needed a good at bat to get a win. “That was one of our messages was we don’t need a hero, just get us a good at bat,” said Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski.
The Ducks certainly felt the momentum shift in the bottom of the 10th inning. Although Seattle led by three runs, 4-1 entering the bottom of the 10th, Oregon remained resilient. Seattle continuously made mistakes and hit a batter and walked another, which changed the trajectory of the game in the tenth inning. In the bottom of the 10th, when Oregon trailed 4-3, Justin Cassella got hit by a pitch. At this point in the game, the Ducks had two on base with one out.
It was certainly a pitchers duel. Despite throwing 12 more strikes than Oregon, the Seattle Redhawks were unable to snag a win in Wednesday’s hard fought battle. Seattle collectively threw 102 strikes and 69 balls, compared to Oregon’s 90 strikes and 68 balls.
Tomorrow, Thursday March 28th, Oregon will host Seattle for the second game of the three game series between the Ducks and the Redhawks.
Audio story by Ryan Oppenheimer