Tag: Eugene Super Regional

Oral Roberts denies Oregon its trip to Omaha with Game 3 victory

Oral Roberts took full advantage of Oregon miscues, both forced and unforced, to win 11-6 and punch its ticket to Omaha and the CWS.

Oregon can’t say it didn’t have its chances.

Unfortunately, the Ducks had too many unforced mistakes and Oral Roberts didn’t make hardly any and it’s the Golden Eagles who will be going to Omaha for the College World Series with an 11-6 win in Game 3 of the Eugene Super Regional.

At the end of the day, the Ducks will look at the 11 walks, an error, and baserunning blunders and see those are what cost them a ticket to the CWS. The Ducks used a grand total of nine pitchers, four in the ninth inning alone, trying to piecemeal the entire game and it didn’t work.

They can even go back to the night before when a potential double-play grounder to win the game that wasn’t made. At this level and at this point in the NCAA tournament, teams will take advantage and Oral Roberts took full advantage.

Everything looked to be going Oregon’s way in the first inning with Tanner Smith’s three-run homer to put the Ducks up 3-1 early. But Oral Roberts cut into that lead with one in the third and three more in the fourth, chasing Oregon starter Jackson Pace from the ballgame

Logan Mercado, pitching on one day’s rest, held down the fort as best he could. He went three innings and gave up just one run.

Sabin Ceballos made it a one-run game in the sixth with a homer to center to make it 5-4. But that was when the wheels started to come off.

Oregon went to the bullpen and brought in Grayson Grinsell and after just two batters, he went down with what looked like a serious arm injury and couldn’t continue. Matt Dallas came in and thanks to a walk, a wild pitch, a hit and an error, Oral Roberts extended its lead to 8-5.

Heading into the ninth, with their offense, the Ducks still had a reasonable belief that they could still pull this one out. But the top of the frame turned into a complete disaster. Ian Umlandt began the inning harmlessly enough and he got two outs and there was a runner on second. Just one more out to let the bats get to work.

The decision was made to bring in Dylan McShane, a freshman that struggled mightily on Friday and it was the same story here. With his first pitch, he plunked a batter and proceeded to walk the next hitter. The Baes were loaded and Oregon had to go to two more freshmen who hadn’t pitched in more than a month. By the time Jacob Hughes restored order, it was 11-5 Eagles and those rally hopes were dashed.

So were the hopes of going to Omaha for the first time since 1954. The Ducks will have to wait for another season to make that happen.

Twitter Reaction: Ducks’ electric season falls short of World Series with Game 3 loss to Oral Roberts

A tough end to an otherwise electric season for the Oregon Ducks. Fans took to Twitter to express their gratitude after the Super Regionals loss.

On Saturday night, the Oregon Ducks were two outs away from making it to their first College World Series since 1954.

It turns out that they would never get closer than that.

After the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles rallied to get a walk-off win over the Ducks in Game 2 of the Super Regionals, they stormed ahead in the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon, winning 11-6 and advancing to the College World Series.

The Ducks initially got out to a 3-1 lead early in the game, but the pitching ended up running out down the stretch, and a handful of unforced errors allowed Oral Roberts to run away with the victory.

While the season came to an unfortunate end, it should be largely viewed as a major success in Eugene. The Ducks got a stagnant baseball program out of the mud and there was more energy in the city for this squad than there has been in over a decade. After the loss, Oregon fans took to social media to express their gratitude for the great season, and show their support for the Ducks.

Here are some of the best reactions:

Twitter Reaction: Oral Roberts gets walk-off win to beat Ducks, force Game 3

After experiencing a walk-off win on Friday night, Duck fans unfortunately saw the flipside of that coin on Saturday. Game 3 Sunday. Buckle up.

The Oregon Ducks were two outs away from advancing to their first College World Series. Two outs away from continuing their 10-game winning streak and making it further than any Oregon team has since 1954.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t get the job done.

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In the bottom of the ninth inning against Oral Roberts, the Golden Eagles strung together a pair of singles and got a batter walked to load the bases. Then a line drive down the left field line ended up bouncing out of play, giving the Golden Eagles a walk-off ground-rule double to keep their season alive.

It was the second walk-off in as many days at PK Park, with the Ducks getting a walk-off RBI single from Drew Cowley on Friday night to end Oral Roberts’ 21-game winning streak.

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Now the two teams will play in Game 3 on Sunday afternoon for a chance to move on to the College World Series. Buckle up, I’m sure it will be a classic.

For now, here are some of the best reactions on social media throughout the night, ending in a brutal loss for the Ducks:

Oral Roberts forces a Game 3 with ninth inning rally to beat Ducks

With the game on the line, Oral Roberts scores two in the bottom of the ninth to beat Oregon 8-7 and extend the Eugene Super Regional.

Oregon was three outs away from having its ticket punched for Omaha, but Oral Roberts had other plans.

The Golden Eagles scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth off of closer Josh Mollerus to shock the Ducks 8-7 and extend the Eugene Super Regional to a deciding Game 3 Sunday afternoon at 3 pm.

The usually reliable Mollerus was quite as sharp as he was in Game 1 and ORU’s Justin Quinn lined a ball down the left field line that landed on said line to score two and win the game.

It was eerily similar to how Oregon lost the last time they hosted a Super Regional against Kent State. The Ducks also lost on a ball that landed on that very same line and it happened again.

Unlike in Game 1, this contest went back and forth. Oral Roberts led 3-1 after two innings of play, but in the fourth, Sabin Ceballos broke out of his slump with a two-run home run to left-center field to tie the game.

The Golden Eagles grabbed the lead right back in the bottom of the inning, but it could have been a lot more. They had the bases loaded and no out. but Oregon pitcher Ian Umlandt coaxed a double play to end the threat.

Oregon was the “visiting” team due to NCAA Super Regional rules and grabbed the lead for good in the top of the fifth on Drew Cowley’s run-scoring single and Ceballos’ double to left-center for the 5-4 lead.

Reliever Austin Anderson came in and held the powerful ORU offense off the board for two straight innings, allowing the Ducks time to socre some insurance runs.

Those came in the seventh off of All-American closer when Drew Smith crushed one to the wall that found its way into the glove of Jonah Cox and then out of the glove of Jonah Cox for a triple.

Up 7-4 and nine outs to go, Oral Roberts didn’t make it easy.

Single runs in the seventh and eighth made it 7-6, including a homer run from Cox that extended his 46-game hitting streak.

Now the Ducks have to somehow forget this game, move on, and win Sunday afternoon. The Golden Eagles managed to move on from blowing an 8-0 lead and now it’s the Ducks’ turn to put a major disappointment behind them.

Photo Gallery: A wild night at PK Park ends with a Duck walk-off win

Photo Gallery: Oregon rallies from an 8-0 deficit and wins the game 9-8 on Drew Cowley’s single off of All-American closer Cade Denton.

It’s a night anyone associated with the Oregon Ducks baseball team, players, coaches, fans, and even administrators, won’t soon forget.

The Ducks pulled off an epic comeback where they were once down 8-0 in the third only to claw and scratch their way back and eventually win the game in the ninth inning off of All-American closer Cade Denton.

A crowd of 4,476 fans, the second-largest crowd in PK Park history, was sent into a frenzy where shirts were being taken off and flung around and drinks flying up in the air.

And this was just Game 1.

What do the Ducks have in store for Game 2? It’s hard to believe it could top the dramatics of this win. But a win tonight would send Oregon to Omaha and the College World Series for the first time since 1954. That’s been the goal since the very first day the program was brought back in 2009.

That alone could top what happened Friday night. Here are the pictures that illustrate the craziness on and off the field.

Oregon rallies from eight-run deficit to stun Oral Roberts

Down 8-0 in the third, Oregon manages a comeback for the ages to stun Oral Roberts 9-8 in Game 1 of the Eugene Super Regional.

The Oregon Ducks baseball team knows how to keep things exciting.

They spotted Oral Roberts an 8-spot in a top of the third inning that took 36 minutes. Teams that have fallen behind by eight runs in the Super Regional round of the NCAA baseball tournament were 0-96.

Now they’re 1-96.

Although there was a snowman on the scoreboard, Oregon didn’t throw in the towel. The Ducks chipped away and were propelled by two Bennett Thompson homers and stunned the Golden Eagles 9-8 to take Game 1 of the Eugene Super Regional Friday night in front of a packed PK Park of 4,476.

With the win, the Ducks are just one win away from Omaha. It’s a position they haven’t been in since 2012. The victory also happened to be Oregon’s 10th straight and broke Oral Roberts’ 21-game winning streak. Before tonight, the Golden Eagles hadn’t lost since April 22.

After Oral Roberts’ big inning, Oregon was able to respond right away thanks to back-to-back homers from Jacob Walsh and Bennett Thompson.

But the Ducks’ sophomore catcher from Medford was far from finished. Thompson then made it 8-5 in the fifth with a three-run homer that landed in the Golden Eagles bullpen. Before this game, Thompson had two homers the entire season. He doubled that total.

Oregon’s power was on display again in the sixth with Drew Smith’s solo homer to make it 8-6. Then in the seventh, the Ducks scored two more runs to tie it 8-8 on run singles from Drew Cowley and Tanner Smith.

The rally couldn’t have happened if the Duck bullpen didn’t step up in a big way. Pitchers Ian Umlandt and Logan Mercado held the Golden Eagles off the scoreboard for 4 1/3 innings before Matt Dallas and Josh Mollerus closed things out.

Tied at 8-8 and heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Golden Eagles decided to leave reliever Dalton Patten in the game instead of bringing in All-American closer Cade Denton to start the inning.

Patten proceeded to walk both Gavin Grant and Rikuu Nishida to runners on first and second and no one out. This was when Denton came in, but for Oral Roberts, it was too late.

Denton did retire Bryce Boettcher, but Drew Cowley hit a 2-2 pitch into right field to score Nishida and send PK Park into a frenzy.

Now Oregon will look to punch its ticket to Omaha for the first time since 1954 Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6 pm PST and will be televised by either ESPN or ESPNU.

Super Regional Preview: Golden Eagles look to swoop in and take CWS appearance from Ducks

Oral Roberts comes into the Eugene Super Regional as an underdog even though its riding a 21-game winning streak.

Make no mistake about it. Oral Roberts comes into the Eugene Super Regional as the underdog. But as winners of 39-of-42, the Golden Eagles don’t believe that should be the case.

And they could be right.

ORU has won 21 straight games and their lost defeat came on April 22 when it lost 4-2 to North Dakota State. Overall, the Golden Eagles possess a record of 49-11 with wins over the likes of Oklahoma State, Washington and traditional college baseball power Dallas Baptist as they won the Stillwater Regional last week.

So what’s the secret to their success?

Having two All-Americans doesn’t hurt the cause. Centerfielder Jonah Cox became Oral Roberts’ first All-American since 2008 with his ungodly .424 batting average. He’s third in the country with 106 hits that included 10 home runs, 64 runs batted in, eight triples, and 16 doubles. Cox also has 27 stolen bases and was caught just three times.

The second All-American is closer Cade Denton with his 15 saves and 1.65 earned run average.

But according to Golden Eagles coach Ryan Folmer, the collective whole and not the individuals is what makes this team special.

“It’s an easy group to coach. You want to be playing this time of year and you want to keep playing,” he said. “We went on the road in what seems like forever ago and we talked about how going on the road has a chance to galvanize your team.”

Oral Roberts has been on the road for three straight weeks and it seems to suit them.

Coming to PK Park and playing in front of about 4,000 Duck fans will be the champion of the Summit League’s biggest challenge to date. Both schools will be battling for their first College World Series appearance in their programs’ history.

If Oregon wants to go to Omaha, it’ll take more than keeping Cox off base. Nearly every ORU starting position player hits over .300 and they have a team average of .324.

Neither team has announced their starting pitchers, but the Golden Eagles have a trio of pitchers that have started the majority of their weekend series.

Brooks Fowler comes in with a 9-1 record and a 3.11 ERA. The sophomore started the regional-clinching game against Dallas Baptist and he went five innings, giving up four runs and seven hits.

Harley Gollert, a redshirt senior from Canada, comes in with a 10-1 mark and a 4.00 ERA, but in his most recent appearance, Washington roughed him up a bit. He didn’t get out of the first inning as he gave up six runs and seven hits in 2/3 of an inning.

The third starter is Jakob Hall with his 8-3 record and 3.25 ERA. He started the regional-opening game against Oklahoma State, but went just 2.2 innings due to an extended weather delay.