It’s probably safe to say California second baseman Hance Smith is the first Pac-12 player to be robbed of a home run and then hit an inside-the-park grand slam in the same game.
The Golden Bears scored five in the eighth and then had to hang on to dear life in the ninth as they avoided a sweep at the hands of the Ducks with a 9-8 win Sunday afternoon at PK Park.
With the loss, Oregon falls to 28-15 overall and 13-8 in conference play.
The Ducks were up 5-3 going into the eighth inning and they brought in closer Kolby Somers for the six-out save. Unfortunately, things unraveled on Somers quickly. Cal scored one and still had the bases juiced when Smith hit a pop fly down the right field line. Anthony Hall was shaded into the gap and had to sprint to even have a chance at catching the fly ball.
Hall actually over ran the ball as it bounced behind him and he fell to the turf. Meanwhile, Smith was able to circle the bases. Those were RBIs 4-7 for him on the day as he had a sacrifice fly and a two-run single earlier in the contest.
That sacrifice fly was nearly a three-run homer, but Colby Shade was able to reach over the wall and bring it back.
Down 9-6 heading into the ninth inning, Oregon was able to mount a rally that eventually saw the potential winning run reach second base, but not before some fireworks.
It looked like Gavin Grant had swung at strike three, but the first base umpire ruled he checked his swing. That sent California into an uproar and coach Mike Neu was thrown out.
Grant made the most out of his second chance and line one through the legs of Hance Smith and two runs scored. But Tanner Smith grounded out to first to end the game.
Oregon now has prepare for a huge week of baseball as the Ducks and Beavers will meet up for four games, one non-conference contest on Tuesday in Eugene and three Pac-12 games in Corvallis over the weekend.