Grayson Grinsell just stole the Ducks a win against No. 14 UC Santa Barbara.

The left-handed pitcher’s career day kept Oregon in the game while the offense worked to push anything across. 

Offensively, the Ducks’ 2-1 win over the Gauchos wasn’t pretty. Defensively, Grinsell tossed a gem. 

The general consensus entering Saturday night was that the fans in attendance at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium in Santa Barbara, California were in for a pitcher’s duel. That’s exactly what they got as the contest’s two starters kept the game scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning. 

In his first start since May 17, Grinsell showed no signs of rust. Through his first four innings, he allowed only two hits while fanning five and never truly looking in danger of allowing a run. 

His counterpart on the Gauchos, Tyler Bremner, was every bit as good as advertised. He entered the contest with a 11-0 record and an ERA of 2.63. Through his first six scoreless frames, he limited the Ducks to just five hits while fanning seven. 

It was a pitcher’s duel through-and-through, with neither guy willing to budge and neither offense able to gain any sort of advantage. 

Oregon finished 1-12 with runners on base in the win. 

Grinsell didn’t get a shred of help from the Ducks’ bats. Granted, they faced one of the best arms in college baseball, but the trend of Oregon pitching carrying the team continued on Saturday. The Ducks have now scored just 11 runs in four postseason games this season. They’re a measly 3-28 with runners in scoring position in those games. 

Grinsell worked out of a tremendous jam in the sixth inning. A leadoff double was followed by a pair of strikeouts and a walk. Then, with two outs and runners on the corners, the Gauchos tried to swipe home, but Grinsell gunned the runner out at the plate to keep the game scoreless and end the threat. What could have been a momentum-shifting inning ended up just another zero in the books. The Ducks held the Gauchos to 1-11 with runners in scoring position on Saturday.

Grinsell having to pitch without much run support has been somewhat of a theme this season. The Ducks had already lost three games in which Grinsell allowed three or fewer earned runs — March 8 against Arizona State (two earned runs), April 6 against UCLA (three earned runs), April 27 against Oregon State (two earned runs). Saturday was nearly a fourth, but a late surge saved his incredible day. 

The Ducks finally broke through in the seventh. After Justin Cassella singled and stole second, Carter Garate singled him home to break the stubborn tie. Garate’s fourth RBI in two games gave Oregon an advantage and put Grinsell in line for a much-deserved win. 

Garate was called out for running out of the baseline while trying to swipe home with two outs, but he had given Oregon a lead and a chance at the Santa Barbara Regional Championship. 

It also chased Bremner, who was given his first loss of the season, despite his ERA actually dropping to 2.45. Unbelievable. 

Grinsell’s day ended after a career-high 7.0 innings in which he allowed just three hits, four walks and no runs. He threw 114 total pitches — 66 of which were strikes — as he fanned nine batters. It was an elite performance from an incredibly underrated arm. 

Ryan Featherston took over to pitch a 1-2-3 eighth inning. In the bottom half of the frame, the Ducks’ lead grew as Chase Meggers led off with a double, and scored on a Drew Smith groundout. Featherston was given a 2-0 lead to protect against the bottom of UCSB’s lineup in the ninth.

A leadoff hit-by-pitch and a double quickly put both runs the Gauchos needed in a position to score. Featherston recorded a pair of strikeouts with a walk sandwiched between to load the bases with two outs. Another hit-by-pitch brought in UCSB’s only run and set up a bases-loaded, two-out situation.

With the game on the line, Ivan Brethowr grounded out to Garate to end the game. For the second-straight night, the Ducks’ pitching carried Oregon and was good enough to eke out a one-run victory.

With the win, Oregon advances to the Santa Barbara Regional Championship and will play at 6 p.m. against the winner of the San Diego vs. UCSB game that will take place at 12. Should Oregon lose tomorrow night, a rematch will occur on Monday to see who wins the regional.