Ducks Rally Falls Short In Loss At ASU

TEMPE, Ariz. – Oregon rallied for four runs in the ninth but the Ducks left the tying run at second base as Arizona State held on for an 8-6 Pac-12 Conference win at Packard Stadium on Sunday.

UO (36-16, 14-10 Pac-12) trailed 8-2 heading into the final inning but mounted a comeback thanks to some shaky relief by Sun Devils’ closer Ryan Burr.

Pinch hitters Josh Graham and Steven Packard started the rally reaching base with one out in the inning. Graham walked and moved to second on a base hit by Packard. Aaron Payne, who hit a solo homer in the seventh, walked to load the bases.

Tyler Baumgartner singled to score Graham to cut the lead to 8-3, before Shaun Chase drew a bases loaded walk to score Packard and bring the tying run to the plate. Mitchell Tolman singled to left field scoring Payne to get Oregon within three.

Kyle Garlick picked up a RBI with a ground out to first that scored Baumgartner and moved pinch runner Desmond Santos the third and Tolman to second with two outs. Arizona State’s Eder Evis then got A.J. Balta to pop out to shortstop Drew Stankiewicz to end the game.

Arizona State (26-21, 14-10 Pac-12) jumped to an early lead against Oregon scoring five runs in the first before adding another run in the second. ASU built the lead to 7-0 before the Ducks finally snapped a 13-inning scoring drought with a run in the sixth when Tolman scored on a passed ball.

Brando Tessar (4-1) took the loss for Oregon allowing seven runs, four earned, on 10 hits in 3.2 innings while fanning two. Darin Gillies (2-4) picked up the win tossing six innings while allowing just two hits and walking five.

Oregon returns to action Tuesday at PK Park when the Ducks host Pacific in a non-conference game, before traveling to play defending national champion UCLA next weekend in a three-game series.