Tag: RJ Gordon

RJ Gordon and the Ducks easily take down Seattle 10-2

Oregon takes care of business with a 10-2 win over Seattle in Game 2 of the four-game set.

That was much more like it.

A night after the Ducks had to score four runs in the bottom of the 10th inning to take down Seattle, Oregon got down to business early and often en route to a 10-2 victory over the Redhawks.

The Ducks improved to 17-7 overall, while Seattle’s struggles continue as the Redhawks fell to just 7-18.

Oregon scored three runs in the first inning and as it turned out, that was enough for starter RJ Gordon on the mound. In a rare Thursday start, Gordon went five innings, giving up one run on five hits and struck out five to earn his third win of the season.

Jeffrey Heard got the offense going with a two-run single that scored Bryce Boettcher and Chase Meggers. Later on in the frame, Mason Neville drove in his first run of the night to make it 3-0.

Heard drove in his second run as in many innings with an infield single to score Maddox Molony. The Oregon right fielder went 4-for-4 on the night with three singles and a double.

Down 4-0, Seattle finally cracked the scoreboard in the fourth when Sam Kane nailed a solo home run over the left field wall. In the next inning, the Redhawks threatened to rally by loading the bases, but Gordon managed to strike out Mateo Zeppieri and the Ducks held on to the three-run advantage.

The Ducks answered with a run in the sixth, two in the seventh and three more in the eighth on Neville’s three-run blast to right-center field that ended up in the PK Park parking lot.

While the Ducks’ offense was humming, the bullpen was doing their job. The combination of Ian Umlandt, Cole Stokes, Brock Moore and Collin Clarke held Seattle to just one run on two hits. Moore only pitched to two batters, however, as he had to come out of the game due to an apparent arm injury.

Moore wasn’t the only Duck to go down with an injury as left fielder Justin Cassella went down with a leg injury after beating out an infield single. Hopefully both injuries are minor and both players will be back on the field soon for the Ducks.

Oregon and Seattle will get back at it Friday night at PK Park for Game 3 of the four-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 pm PST.

Oregon grabs 2 of 3 from Arizona in Pac-12 weekend series

Oregon took 2 of 3 from Arizona to win the weekend series, but fell 15-4 in the finale.

For the third straight Pac-12 weekend series, the Oregon Ducks baseball team took 2-of-3 from the opponent. This time, it was Arizona, although the Wildcats managed to avoid a sweep with a 15-4 victory at PK Park.

It was actually a close affair through six innings with Arizona up just 3-2. But the Duck bullpen couldn’t keep the Wildcats at three as the visitors from the desert scored runs in the final three innings to blow the game wide open.

Reliever Logan Mercado, who is usually reliable, just didn’t have it on this rainy Sunday afternoon as he gave up six runs in just 2/3 of an inning. The game was almost over with the Cats leading 9-4 in the eighth, but a grand slam from Brendan Summerhill sealed Oregon’s fate.

Things turned out much better for the Ducks in the first two games of the series, however.

In Game 1, the Ducks won a rare pitchers duel 2-1. Bennett Thompson’s two-run single in the sixth was just enough for the win. Starter RJ Gordon pitched a gem with 6 1/3 solid innings of work. Mercado threw a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the year.

Game 2 was even more exciting as the Ducks won the game in the bottom of the ninth 3-2. The game was tied when Bryce Boettcher laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt that scored Mason Neville to win it.

Despite the series finale loss, Oregon is still 6-3 in league play and 15-7 overall. Next the Ducks will stay home and host Seattle for a four-game series Wednesday through Saturday.

California comes to PK Park and wins big in series opener over Oregon

California lit the PK Park scoreboard up with a baker’s dozen worth of runs and took the series opener 13-1 over the Ducks.

While there’s a huge celebration down in Las Vegas with the men’s basketball team’s upset over Arizona, the exact opposite feeling is occurring at PK Park.

California’s Caleb Lomavita set the tone with a two-run homer in the first and the Bears blew out Oregon 13-1 in the weekend series opener.

With the loss, Oregon drops to 11-6 overall and 4-3 in league play. The Golden Bears improved to 12-3 overall and a perfect 4-0 in Pac-12 action.

Things didn’t get any better for Duck starting pitcher RJ Gordon as he gave up three more runs in the third to fall behind 5-0. The Ducks were able to dent the scoreboard in the fourth on a run-scoring single from Ryan Cooney to score Drew Smith.

But that was all the offense the Ducks could muster. California put the game away with three insurance runs in the eighth and four more in the ninth off of Oregon’s young relievers.

A bright spot on the mound for the Ducks was Brock Moore as he struck out six straight batters. Unfortunately, he might have been left too long as he was touched up for those three runs in the eighth.

All is far from lost for the Ducks. In their first Pac-12 series, they dropped the opener to Arizona State before coming out on top Saturday and Sunday to take the series. Oregon is hoping to repeat the feat this weekend as well.

Game 2 is scheduled for 2:05 pm Saturday afternoon.

Oregon can’t match Santa Barbara’s early offense on Friday afternoon

The Oregon Ducks lose to the Santa Barbara Gauchos 6-1 on Friday afternoon.

The Oregon Ducks baseball team’s win streak came to a close on Friday afternoon with a 6-1 loss to the Santa Barbara Gauchos. This was the first game of a three-game series against the Gauchos that will continue this weekend. Throughout most of the game, there was steady wind and rain, which probably contributed to Oregon’s lack of offense.

In the top of the first inning, the Ducks gave up three runs, after Santa Barbara’s first three batters picked up base hits. After that shaky first inning, Oregon starting pitcher RJ Gordon cleaned up his pitching, allowing only one hit after the first three batters he faced got knocks. In 4.2 innings pitched Gordon struck out 6 batters as well.

Through all nine innings, Santa Barbara had dominant pitching. The Gauchos’ starter Matt Ager pitched 6.1 innings, allowing just 4 hits, 2 walks, and 0 earned runs, striking out 8 Ducks along the way. Ager’s replacement from the bullpen, Cole Tryba, was equally dominant, giving up no earned runs, 3 baserunners, and striking out 5 batters to close the game for the Gauchos.

Oregon tried to make things interesting with a rally in the ninth inning. Things kicked off with a leadoff single from Oregon’s third-baseman Drew Smith, and then two more batters reached base to load the bases. But with two outs, Ducks centerfielder Bryce Boettcher came to the plate and grounded out to the Gauchos shortstop to end the game.

The Ducks will have their next games against Santa Barbara on Saturday and Sunday, and hopefully, they’ll be able to bring more offense to the field. Oregon finished Friday’s game with just 6 hits (all singles) and 3 bases on balls, and the Ducks’ only run came off of a sacrifice fly in the 5th inning. To start the season, Oregon’s bats have been hot, so hopefully they can swing back into form for the next two games of the series.

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Oregon routs Lafayette in 2024 home opener at PK Park

Oregon baseball had an easy time of it in its home opener with a 17-3 rout over Lafayette at PK Park.

Perhaps the worst thing Lafayette could have done was to hit a home run in the top of the first because that solo blast woke the Oregon Ducks baseball team up.

The Ducks answered with three homers of their own en route to a 17-3 win over the Leopards in the 2024 home opener at PK Park. Oregon improved to 3-1 on the young season while Lafayette is still looking for its first victory on the year. They were swept at East Tennessee State last weekend and if this game was any indication, the Leopards are going to have a long stay in Eugene.

Drew Smith, Jacob Walsh and Ryan Cooney all smacked the ball out of the ballpark after the Ducks went homerless last weekend at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. The Ducks scored in every inning of the contest. Their biggest frame came in the first, third and fourth where the Ducks scored three runs in each of those innings.

Chase Meggers and Walsh drove in three runs and Jeffrey Heard added a double and a triple with two runs scored. Bennett Thompson also hit a double and triple.

On the mound, RJ Gordon earned his first win of the year as he went six innings, giving up just one run on three hits while striking out four.

These two teams have a quick turnaround with a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch of Game 1 is scheduled for 12 pm. Oregon and Lafayette will end the four-game series on Sunday with a single game also at noon.

Oklahoma Sooners Baseball falls to Oregon 4-2 in 2024 season opener

Oklahoma Sooners drop their opening day game to the Oregon Ducks 4-2

Friday afternoon marked a wonderful time in the Oklahoma sports calendar as the Sooners baseball team embarked on its final journey as Big 12 members. Oklahoma is back and trying to work themselves into a return to Omaha for the College World Series.

Oklahoma opened their season in Arlington, Texas, against the Pac-12’s Oregon Ducks at Globe Life Field. Oklahoma dropped their opening day matchup with Oregon 4-2. The Ducks’ heralded bullpen locked things down, and their offense pushed across two late runs in the top of the eighth inning to seal the deal for last year’s Pac-12 tournament champions.

The first inning was pretty eventful for Oklahoma pitcher Braden Davis, who started by hitting the game’s first batter, Drew Smith. Smith advanced on a passed ball before a Dominic Hellman single drove him in for the first run of the game.

Oklahoma struggled to mount anything early against Oregon starter RJ Gordon, who tossed 4.1 innings of two-run ball. Braden Davis settled in the next few innings before a wild pitch with a runner on third cost the Sooners yet another run, giving the Ducks a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the third, the top of the Sooner’s order woke up as a John Spikerman single, Bryce Madron double, and an Easton Carmichael sacrifice fly helped Oklahoma scratch their first run. Kendall Pettis followed up with a sacrifice fly of his own to tie the ball game.

From then on, the game became a pitching duel as the Sooners and Ducks held each other scoreless over the next five innings. Braden Davis’ day came to an end after five innings of two-run ball. He struck out seven batters and walked just two on 88 pitches.

One of Skip Johnson’s transfer adds, Malachi Witherspoon pitched two innings in relief. Witherspoon was solid primarily until the top of the 8th inning in his third inning in relief. Then things began to unravel for him.

A single, wild pitch and back-to-back walks loaded the bases with no outs.

Johnson made the call to the bullpen, bringing in senior right-hander Carson Atwood, who induced a double play, but the Ducks scored to make it 3-2. With a runner on third, another passed ball gave the Ducks an insurance run to make it 4-2.

Those two runs in the eighth proved to be enough as a terrific showing by the Oregon bullpen kept Oklahoma off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.

Grayson Ginsell and Michael Freund combined for 4.2 innings of relief, with Freund recording the save in the 9th to close the door. The duo allowed zero runs and gave up just one hit.

Offensively, the Sooners had six hits and left five runners on base.

The Sooners will be back at it tomorrow against one of the nation’s best teams as they take on No. 9 Tennessee in the second game of the Shriners Children’s College Baseball Showdown. The game is set for 7 p.m. Saturday before closing the weekend with a 10:30 a.m. matchup against Nebraska.

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Oregon baseball takes 2024 season opener from Oklahoma

The Oregon Ducks baseball team got the season off on the right (web)foot with a 4-2 win over Oklahoma Friday afternoon.

This is how you begin a season.

The Oregon Ducks baseball team defeated Oklahoma 4-2 in the 2024 season opener in the Shriner’s Children College Baseball Classic in Arlington, Texas.

Reliever Greyson Grinsell was the winner on the mound and new closer Michael Freund earned his first save.

No one will consider this a defensive masterpiece, however.

Oregon scored two runs on wild pitches and another run on a double play, but at the end of the day, the Ducks aren’t going to complain. They also saw the return of starting pitcher RJ Gordon, who missed the entire 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery.

Gordon was effective as he gave up just two runs in his 4.1 innings on the mound. After that, the Sooners had little chance. The combination of Grinsell and Freund gave up just one hit in their 4.2 innings.

Oregon took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Dominik Cassella lined a single to right that scored Drew Smith. It was then 2-0 Ducks in the third due to a wild pitch that scored Bryce Boettcher.

Oklahoma tied the game in the bottom half of the inning on two sacrifice flies. The Sooners managed just three base runners from that point forward, one reaching on an error. But that runner, Easton Carmichael, was promptly thrown out as he attempted to advance on a ball in the dirt.

Oregon catcher Bennett Thompson was able to corral the pitch in the dirt and pick off Carmichael by a good 15 feet. Freund ended the inning on a third-called strike to Kendall Pettis.

The Ducks took a 4-2 lead in the eighth on a double play grounder the top half of that frame that scored Jacob Walsh and then a wild pitch that brought Justin Cassella home.

Fortunately, there were no fireworks in the bottom half of the ninth as Freund retired the Sooners in order to secure the victory.

The Ducks will have a short turnaround as they will play Baylor on Saturday morning at Globe Life Field. The Bears fell in their opener to Nebraska 4-1 earlier in the day.

Daniel Susac’s two homers down Ducks in Game 1 of the Pac-12 tournament

Daniel Susac’s two-homer day was too much for the Ducks to overcome as they fall 8-6 to Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament opener.

The Oregon Ducks learned a tough lesson in the opening game of the first annual Pac-12 tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz. and that’s when you get runners in scoring position, you have to find a way to score.

Also, giving up two home runs to Arizona’s best hitter isn’t exactly a good formula for winning.

Daniel Susac belted two home runs to help the Wildcats avenge that three-game sweep at PK Park to take an 8-6 win over the Ducks. Now Oregon will have to fight their way out of the loser’s bracket. They’ll face the loser of the Stanford/Arizona State game tomorrow at 9 a.m.

Oregon left two runners on base in the seventh and eighth innings that ended a potential rally. The Ducks scored one in the ninth, but they couldn’t come all the way back.

Arizona took a 3-0 lead, but the Ducks managed to cut into the deficit with run-scoring singles from Colby Shade and Brennen Milone. It was 4-2 Wildcats in the sixth when Anthony Hall crushed a pitch off of the right field foul pole for a three-run homer and the Ducks had a brief 5-4 advantage.

But pitcher RJ Gordon ran out of gas in the seventh, loaded the bases and gave way to the bullpen. Unfortunately, Arizona was able to score two and re-take the lead at 6-5.

Oregon gave itself chance after chance in the late innings, but it could never get that one big hit to get over the hump. Susac’s second homer, which came in the ninth inning, was the two insurance runs Arizona needed. The Ducks scored one run on Drew Cowley’s RBI double, but it wasn’t enough.

Ducks power their way to a series opening win in Seattle

Anthony Hall homered and Jacob Walsh drove in four to lead the Ducks to a 7-5 win over Washington late last night.

It’s always fun to beat the Huskies, especially in Seattle.

Anthony Hall belted a two-run homer in the first and Kolby Somers held Washington off in the eighth and the ninth for a 7-5 win over the Dawgs.

Oregon is now 22-11 overall and 8-5 in league play. The Ducks broke a three-game losing streak in Pac-12 action. They are also tied for fourth place with UCLA. Meanwhile, Washington’s struggles continue as they fell to 16-16 overall and 6-10 in conference play.

The Ducks got off to a good start right away in the first off of Huskies starting pitcher Jared Engman. Oregon cracked the scoreboard with a two-run single from Jacob Walsh on an 0-2 pitch. Then two batters later, Hall smashed a homer to right field that might have landed in Puget Sound. It was his eighth home run for the season.

From that point, it was Duck pitcher RJ Gordon, who might have had his best start since being moved to the Friday night spot. Gordon pitched into the sixth inning before being pulled. He gave up three runs and five hits, but more importantly, he kept Washington playing catch-up all night long.

Matt Dallas and Andrew Mosiello came in from the bullpen and pitched the sixth and seventh before Somers was summoned in the eighth and he wriggled out of a huge jam in that inning.

Oregon was up 5-3 and Washinton had runners on second and third with one out. That was when Huskies shortstop Cam Clayton lined out to Somers for out No. 2. Somers then proceeded to hit the next batter, but whiffed Sam Brown to end the threat.

Thankfully, the Ducks scored two insurance runs in the ninth on another two-run single from Walsh because the Huskies got to Somers with two runs and had the tying run at the plate. But Somers wriggled out of the jam and preserved the win.

The two teams are back at it today at 2 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.

UCLA’s Jake Brooks pitches a gem to keep the Oregon bats quiet

UCLA’s Jake Brooks shut down the potent Oregon offense for eight innings as the Bruins take Game 1 over the Ducks 3-2.

To be fair, RJ Gordon deserved better.

The Oregon Ducks Friday night starter pitched really well, but UCLA’s Jake Brooks was just a little better as the Bruins defeated Oregon 3-2 in the first game of a three-game weekend series in Los Angeles.

Gordon pitched his best game of the season through 5 2/3 innings. But a single and a JonJon Vaughns home run tied the game and knocked the Ducks pitcher out of the game after 106 pitches. UCLA scored one more in the inning, which was charged to Gordon and he became the hard-luck loser.

With the loss, Oregon dropped to 18-8 overall and 7-3 in league play. UCLA improved to 17-8 and 4-3 in Pac-12 action.

For the first time all season, the Ducks couldn’t solve a starting pitcher as Brooks was absolutely dominating over eight innings. He gave up just two runs, six hits and three strikeouts. The only blemish was Sam Novitske’s two-run homer in the fifth. It was his first homer of the season and just the second of his career.

Oregon attempted to rally in the ninth as Jacob Walsh led the frame off with a double. That was when the Bruins pulled Brooks and at that point, the Ducks would have liked to see anyone else on that mound.

But freshman Gage Jump coaxed a pop out, a groundout and then struck out Josiah Cromwick to end the game.

These two teams will be back at it Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. for Game 2 of the series. Oregon will send out Isaac Ayon (2-0, 5.74 ERA) and he will face Max Rajcic (2-3, 2.92 ERA).