Bats Come Alive, Though Ducks Defeated
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon's bats came alive Saturday night, but some late insurance runs by No. 2 Oregon State made the difference as the No. 24 Ducks dropped an 8-7 decision before a Goss Stadium record 4,026 fans.
The Ducks (28-18, 13-10 Pac-12) scored in four different innings Saturday, including a two-run ninth that brought the tying run to the plate with nobody out. The Beavers held on to win, despite allowing more than twice as many runs to the Ducks on Saturday as in three previous meetings between the two teams combined.
"That's what it looks like — every single inning putting pressure on people," UO coach Mark Wasikowski said. "I was impressed with what they rolled out there with the offense tonight, no doubt about it."
How It Happened: After UO starter Isaac Ayon worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first, Oregon struck first in the top of the second. Anthony Hall led off with his team-leading 11th home run, Josh Kasevich followed with a single and Kasevich stole second before scoring on a single by Josiah Cromwick.
Walks proved costly for Oregon for the second night in a row, however. Three Beavers walked in the bottom of the second, and two of those runners came around to score during a three-run inning that gave OSU a 3-2 lead.
Drew Cowley led off the third with a double for the Ducks, and two batters later Hall brought him home with a sacrifice fly. The Beavers broke the 3-3 tie with three runs in the fourth — Ayon was pulled with one out and two runners aboard, and reliever Dylan Sabia allowed a three-run homer that made it 6-3.
Singles by Tanner Smith and Cowley followed by a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position for Oregon with nobody out in the fifth. Hall brought Smith home with another sacrifice fly, and Kasevich singled in Cowley to make it a one-run game, 6-5.
The Beavers added on insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth and in the seventh. Those proved costly when Brennan Milone blasted his ninth homer of the season to score Cowley with nobody out in the ninth. That made it 8-7 with nobody out, but Hall, Kasevich and Jacob Walsh were retired in order to end the game.
On The Mound: Ayon (3-2) struck out three but allowed five hits, four walks and two hit batters in his 3.1 innings of work. Tommy Brandenburg and Rio Britton were charged with the two late insurance runs by OSU, with Britton going beyond two innings of work for the fourth time this season. Scott Ellis pitched a 1-2-3 eighth for the Ducks.
At The Plate: Hall's first-inning homer extended his streak of games reaching base to 20 . Milone's ninth-inning home run gave him a team-high 44 runs batted in on the year, and Hall's three-RBI night gave him 40 for the season. Cowley's two hits elevated his average to .438.
Up Next: The Ducks send RHP Jace Stoffal (0-1, 8.68) to the mound for Sunday's series finale at 2 p.m.