Tag: PK Park

Duck baseball drops out of national polls after being swept in Corvallis

Oregon baseball completely dropped out of the national polls following its five-game losing skid, including four straight to OSU.

Every team in every sport wants to peak towards the end of the season.

Unfortunately for Oregon Duck baseball, that’s not the case.

After losing five straight, including four losses to Oregon State, the Ducks have dropped out of every national college baseball poll, including the USA TODAY baseball coaches poll.

Oregon hasn’t been ranked very high in the coaches’ poll, but the Ducks have been in the Top 10 in some polls. At 28-19 overall and 13-11 in conference play, Oregon has some work to do if they want to host an NCAA regional at PK Park in June. Something that is in their favor, however, is that the Ducks’ RPI sits at 24.

They have plenty of opportunities to increase that ranking if they are able to handle Gonzaga (26), San Diego (48), and some wins at the Pac-12 tournament at the end of the month.

For now, the Ducks are focusing on hosting USD for a brief two-game mid-week series beginning today at PK Park.

Beavers complete the season sweep over the Ducks with 4-0 win

Oregon’s team wide slump continues it has lost eight of 10 and five straight to the rival Beavers, including a 4-0 loss Sunday.

Bringing back Oregon baseball in 2009 was supposed to prevent all of this.

But in 2022, Oregon State is as good as ever as the Beavers completed the season sweep over the Ducks with a 4-0 win in Corvallis. With the win, the Beavers improved to 38-9 overall, 18-6 in conference play and will most likely be ranked No. 1 in the country on Monday.

As for the Ducks, they have lost eight of 10 games, fell to 13-11 in Pac-12 play and 28-19 overall. Thankfully for Oregon, its RPI is in the Top 25 so making the NCAA tournament shouldn’t be a problem. However, a few more victories in the last next three weeks would be beneficial.

Oregon has been shut out twice this season and unfortunately, both times came against the Beavers. All Oregon State needed on Sunday were two-run home runs from Matthew Gretler and Jacob Melton. The Duck pitchers held the Beavers to four hits. Oregon’s bats could just muster up four hits themselves. They only got a runner in scoring position once the entire day.

Now the Ducks need to forget the last couple of weeks and move on and first on the docket is San Diego at PK Park for two mid-week games. The Toreros handed Oregon three losses down in San Diego in the first four games, so revenge can be a factor.

But a bigger factor for Oregon needs to be securing the best record possible and making some noise in the Pac-12 tournament. If the Ducks can do that, hosting a regional in Eugene is still in the cards.

Ducks blanked for the first time this season in 2-0 loss to OSU

Oregon State was able to shut out the Ducks 2-0 at PK Park in a non-conference affair.

Oregon picked a bad time to have the bats go silent.

For the first time all season, the Ducks were shut out as the Beavers won their second game over Oregon by the score of 2-0 at PK Park. With the loss, the Ducks dropped to 28-16 overall.

The loss also comes at a bad time for the Ducks as they were hoping to gain some momentum against their in-state rivals before a huge three-game weekend series with the Beavers in Corvallis.

As of now, Oregon State (35-9, 15-6) holds a two game lead over the Ducks in the conference standings. Oregon will need a sweep over the Beavers if they want any hope of possibly winning the Pac-12.

In this second game in a week, the Ducks and Beavers featured a rare pitchers duel. Oregon used seven pitchers to hold OSU to two runs and four hits. But of those four knocks, three were doubles and the other hit was a home run.

The game was scoreless until the seventh inning when Garret Forrester led the frame off with a walk and advanced to third on Travis Bazzana’s double. Forrester eventually scored on a sacrifice fly.

Oregon had a golden opportunity to either tie the game or take the lead in the bottom half of the seventh as the Ducks loaded the bases with just one out. Oregon State reliever Mitchell Verberg was able to hold the Ducks off the board by whiffing Gavin Grant and getting Tyler Ganus to line out to the shortstop.

The Beavers added an insurance run on Justin Boyd’s home run to make it 2-0. OSU closer Ryan Brown pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save.

These two teams will meet up at Goss Stadium this weekend beginning on Friday at 7 p.m. at Goss Stadium. Each of the three contests will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

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Ducks ninth inning rally falls just short in weird game at PK Park

Oregon wasn’t able too overcome Hance Smith’s 7 RBI performance as Cal salvaged one over the weekend with a 9-8 win.

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.

Oregon cruises past the Bears 8-3 with a five-run first inning

Oregon scored five runs in the first and cruised to an 8-3 win over California at PK Park.

Oregon Ducks baseball coach Mark Wasikowski probably prefers his offense to spread the runs out a bit more, but as long as the Ducks win, it doesn’t matter all that much.

A five-run first inning gave the Ducks the upper hand and Oregon was able to cruise to a relatively easy 8-3 win over California on a blustery day at PK Park. With the win, the Ducks improved to 28-14 overall and 13-7 in conference play.

Oregon starting pitcher Isaac Ayon pitched six solid innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and striking out seven. He earned his third win of the season.

It didn’t look good for Ayon early on as he gave up a lead-off homer and a double in the first inning. But he was able to settle down and held the Bears off the scoreboard other than that home run.

That was all the Oregon offense needed to get to off the deck in the bottom of the first. The Ducks used three doubles and three singles to score five runs and that was more than enough for Ayon.

Cal scored single runs in the second and third. The Ducks scored a run in the second and at the end of three, it was 6-3 Oregon. It stayed that way until the seventh when the Ducks were able to score two insurance runs on Tanner Smith’s single to left that drove in Anthony Hall and Gavin Grant.

The Ducks will go for the sweep Sunday at noon as they will send out Jace Stoffal to the mound. The Bears haven’t announced their starter.

Anthony Hall drives in five to lead Oregon past the Bears 7-2

Oregon’s Anthony Hall drove in five runs with a double and triple to lead the Ducks past Cal 7-2.

The Pac-12 is going to be hard-pressed to find someone other than Anthony Hall to be the conference player of the year.

Oregon’s right-fielder drove in five runs, including a bases-clearing triple in the eighth inning, as the Ducks were able to down California –. Coupled with the Beavers’ 2-1 loss at Utah, Oregon moved to within a game of first place with a 12-7 record and 27-14 overall.

Not only did Hall hit his fifth triple of the season, but he also smacked a two-run double in the sixth to give the Ducks a 3-2 lead. In reality, if it wasn’t windy and raining at PK Park, Hall might have had two home runs.

The win was a nice rebound from a rough week where the Ducks lost a series to Washington State and a mid-week defeat to Oregon State.

It was also pitcher RJ Gordon”s best outing since being named as the permanent Friday night starter. He threw 5 2/3 innings, giving up just two runs and two hits while striking out four.

Closer Kolby Somers earned his eighth save of the season. He came on in the eighth inning with the Ducks up 3-2 and the go-ahead runs on base. But Somers was able to strike out Rodney Green, Jr. to end the threat.

Oregon and Cal will meet up for Game 2 Saturday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. with Isaac Ayon (2-1, 5.33 ERA) on the mound facing the Bears’ Joseph King (3-2, 3.29 ERA).

Oregon walks it off in the raindrops to take series from Ball State

The Ducks played through the rain and managed to beat Ball State 7-6 thanks to Tyler Ganus’ walk-off single.

It wasn’t the best of conditions with the rain coming down, but it didn’t affect Tyler Ganus.

The pinch-hit specialist came up in the bottom of the ninth with a chance to win the game and Ganus didn’t waste any time. He lined the first pitch he saw off of Ball State reliever Sam Klein down the left field line for a hit and Oregon walked off with the 7-6 win over the Cardinals.

With the victory, not only did the Ducks take three-of-four from the visitors from the Mid-American Conference, but they improved to 21-11 overall.

This game went back-and-forth and today was a good reason why hitting last can be a huge advantage. Oregon scored three in the second, but Ball State scored four runs in the fifth inning to take the 4-3 lead.

The Ducks tied it at 4-4 in the bottom half of the inning and then Gavin Grant gave Oregon the 5-4 lead with an opposite-field home run through the raindrops.

Oregon eventually took a 6-4 lead, but just like the entire weekend, the Cardinals wouldn’t go down without a fight. Ball State’s Adam Christianson and Ryan Peltier belted back-to-back homers to tie the game once again at 6-6 in the eighth.

It stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth.

Brennan Milone led the frame off with a walk and he was replaced with pinch-runner Taylor Holder. He went to second on a wild pitch. Slugger Jacob Walsh, who is capable of hitting balls 400 feet, instead hit a little dribbler down the first base line that stopped directly on that line about 40 feet from home plate.

With runners on the corners, Ball State intentionally walked Josh Kasevich to load the bases and set up a force play at home. It worked for one hitter as Bryce Boettcher grounded to third. But Ganus ended the game with his hit down the left field line to send everyone home happy. They were drenched, but they were happy.

Now the Ducks go back into conference action when they go up to Seattle to take on Washington for a three-game weekend series. The Huskies are 15-15 overall and 6-9 in Pac-12 play.

Oregon’s bats come alive to down the Cardinals 13-7

The Ducks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 13-7 win over Ball State Friday night at PK Park.

Welcome to Oregon Baseball 2022.

The Ducks needed a couple of two-run homers in order to down Ball State 13-7 and snap a three-game losing streak as Oregon took Game 1 of this four-game weekend series with the Cardinals.

Oregon is now 19-10 overall, while Ball State fell to 17-10.

The Cardinals fell down 3-0 early but was able to bounce back with four runs in the fifth off of Oregon starter RJ Gordon. As they have many times this season, the Ducks answered in the very next half-inning with three runs of their own.

It was tied 4-4 when Jacob Walsh broke out of his slump in a very big way. He crushed a two-run homer off of Cardinal reliever Ryan Brown. It was Walsh’s fifth home run of the season.

Unfortunately, the Ducks couldn’t stand the prosperity as Ball State scored one run in the sixth and one more in the seventh to tie the game at 6-6.

But to no one’s surprise, Anthony Hall belted his sixth homer of the season. It was a two-run shot that landed in the Duck bullpen beyond the right field wall to give Oregon the 8-6 lead and eventual win.

Kolby Somers was primed to come in for his fifth save of the season, but the Duck bats scored five insurance in the eighth and ruined the save situation. Instead, Christian Ciuffetelli came in to finish the game. He made it interesting by giving up a run and Ball State had the bases loaded, but a harmless flyout to center ended the game.

These two teams will take Ernie Banks to heart when he said, “Let’s play two!” The Ducks and Cardinals will begin a doubleheader at 12 p.m. with Game 2 starting around 4 p.m. Neither squad has announced who will start on the mound.

Oregon blasts its way to a series win over the Trojans

Josiah Cromwick’s eighth-inning homer tied it and Tanner Smith’s home run won it as the Ducks stun the Trojans 7-6.

Oregon figured out the USC bullpen just in time.

The Trojans relievers dominated the entire weekend, but Josiah’s Cromwick’s three-run home run in the eighth inning tied the game at 6-6 and Tanner Smith’s solo shot gave the Ducks the 7-6 lead and eventual win to take the series from USC.

Kolby Somers pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save of the season.

With the victory, the Ducks move to 16-7 overall and 7-2 in Pac-12 play. They also hold on to first place with a third of the conference season in the books. USC falls to 14-8 overall and 4-5 in league action.

This game was all Trojans going into the seventh inning. USC scored five first-inning runs off of Oregon starter Caleb Sloan. It was 6-1 after two innings. USC starter Charlie Hurley pitched a great game as he went 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on six hits and four strikeouts.

USC then went to its bullpen, which has been the right move all weekend long. Before today, the Trojans relievers had only given up one run in nine innings of work. But it wouldn’t be their day on Sunday.

Toby Spach gave up a two-run homer to Colby Shade in the seventh to cut into a 6-1 deficit. Still up 6-3 heading into the eighth, the Trojans were still in relatively good shape.

However, Carson Lambert, who threw 44 pitches the day before, might have been a little tired as his fastball didn’t quite have the mustard on it that it did 24 hours earlier and the Ducks took full advantage.

Cromwick’s game-tying homer sailed over the visitors bullpen and Smith’s home run, his eighth on the year, went even further. It was also Oregon’s eighth consecutive game where it hit multiple round-trippers.

Next for the Ducks will be welcoming in San Francisco (15-11) for a mid-week game on Tuesday before going down to Los Angeles to take on UCLA next weekend.

Trojans bullpen halts Oregon winning streak and knots the series up with 6-5 win

USC scratches out a late run and ties the weekend series with a 6-5 win over the Ducks at PK Park.

Oregon finally ran into a bullpen that might be just a little better than its own.

The USC relievers threw four scoreless innings against the best offense of the Pac-12 in the Ducks, which allowed the Trojans to scratch an eighth-inning run to win the game 6-5 Saturday afternoon at PK Park.

With the loss, Oregon falls to 15-7 overall and 6-2 in conference action. It also ended the Ducks’ winning streak at five. USC managed to improve its record to 14-7 overall and 4-4 in league play.

Although the Trojans lost the series opener, their relievers threw five scoreless and were able to back that performance up today with the combination of Carson Lambert and Matt Keating.

Lambert threw three innings and got the win and Keating earned his third save of the season by getting the final five outs of the game.

It was 5-5 in the eighth when the Trojans used two walks and a single off of Oregon reliever Matt Dallas to load the bases with just one out. The Ducks almost squirmed out of the jam after a failed safety squeeze. But Dallas plunked D’Andre Smith to force home Nick Lopez.

USC was up 3-1 in the fourth inning thanks to a home run from designated hitter Tyler Lozano. Ironically, however, the fireworks occurred after the homer. Lozano stomped on home plate, said something to the Oregon dugout and that prompted umpire Mark Buchanan to throw out the Trojan DH.

Obviously fired up, the Ducks didn’t wait long to answer.

In the very next half-inning, catcher Jack Scanlon belted a three-run homer to right field to give the Ducks the 4-3 lead. USC tied the game up on Adrian Colon-Rosado’s home run and then managed to take the lead back later in the sixth to go up 5-4.

Colby Shade’s double to left-center scored Sam Novitske to tie the contest up once again 5-5 in the sixth. But Oregon wasn’t able to score after that.

These two teams will go at it one more time on Sunday with the weekend series on the line. Oregon will call upon Caleb Sloan (0-1, 3.48 ERA) to start on the mound and the Trojans will counter with Charlie Hurley (3-1, 2.19 ERA).

First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. and will be streamed on goducks.com.