Rain clouds and a grey sky loomed over PK Park at the start of Sunday’s series finale between Oregon and Cal State Fullerton. For the Ducks, things didn’t get much brighter as the Titans completed the three-game sweep with a 5-4 win.
After Saturday’s contest was interrupted by a 23-minute rain delay, the start of Sunday’s game was pushed back 17 minutes due to the rain.
Aaron Payne led off the bottom of the first for Oregon with an opposite-field line drive that bounced off the glove of Fullerton left fielder Greg Velazquez and went all the way to the wall. Payne made it to third base on the play and would score later in the inning on a Tyler Baumgartner groundout, giving the Ducks their first lead of the series.
The rain would strike again after the first inning, resulting in a second rain delay that lasted one hour and two minutes. Despite the lengthy delay, starting pitchers Porter Clayton and Grahamm Wiest both remained in the game.
Leading off the second for the Ducks was Kyle Garlick, who hit a grounder past a diving Matt Chapman at third base for a double. Garlick moved over to third on a wild pitch and would score on a safety squeeze by Shaun Chase that gave the Ducks a 2-0 lead.
Clayton – making his first start since 2011 for Oregon – kept Fullerton off the scoreboard through three innings despite allowing the leadoff man to reach base in each frame. The Titans would finally capitalize in the fourth, scoring three runs and knocking Clayton out of the game.
With runners at first and second and no outs, Jake Jefferies hit a comebacker to Clayton, who elected to get the lead runner at third rather than throw to second base to attempt a double play. The next batter, A.J. Kennedy, smacked a line drive over the head of Garlick for a double, scoring Clay Williamson and moving Jefferies to third. The Titans would add two more runs before Clayton was pulled from the game. The left-hander lasted just 3.2 innings and surrendered three runs on four hits and five walks.
“It was just one of those days where I didn’t have much going for me,” Clayton said. “I was struggling to locate, which isn’t good early in the game.”
Oregon added another run in the fifth inning to tie the game back up 3-3, but Fullerton would regain the lead in the seventh inning.
Freshman right-hander Stephen Nogosek was cruising along in relief of Clayton, but with two outs and the bases empty, Fullerton cleanup hitter J.D. Davis deposited an offering from Nogosek over the left-field fence to put the Titans back up by a score of 4-3.
Fullerton tacked on a crucial insurance run off Oregon closer Jake Reed in the ninth inning to give the Titans a two-run cushion. The Ducks would cut that lead back to a single run after Payne picked up his second opposite-field RBI single. However, Payne was thrown out stealing with J.B. Bryant at the plate, to give Koby Gauna his second save in as many days and Fullerton the three-game sweep.
Between Clayton and the bullpen, the Ducks issued eight walks on Sunday, which head coach George Horton pointed to as a crucial factor in his club’s loss. The other key mistake that Horton acknowledged was the missed opportunity at a double play in the fourth inning, which could have potentially limited Fullerton’s big inning.
“We made some mental mistakes today,” Horton said, pointing out Clayton’s decision to get the lead runner. “That’s youth and inexperience and ultimately that’s the coach’s job to make sure those kind of things didn’t happen.”
Picking up the win for Fullerton was Phil Bickford (1-0), who was masterful in 2.2 innings of relief. The right-hander was selected 10th overall out of high school by the Toronto Blue Jays in last year’s draft and showed exactly why on Saturday, striking out seven of the 10 batters he faced. Nogosek (0-1) was saddled with the loss for Oregon.
The Ducks will look to bounce back on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the first of two home games against Seattle. Jeff Gold is slated to make the start for Oregon.
Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch