It came down to the last inning.
Oregon led 3-1 for most of Tuesday evening’s matchup against No. 10 Gonzaga. After surrendering a three-run homer in the eighth, they were in grave danger of a late collapse.
But freshman Jacob Walsh played hero, ripping a ball down the right field line in the ninth inning for a two-run double. As the Ducks have done multiple times this year, they erupted from the dugout and poured yellow Gatorade all over Walsh.
“It was a big swing for that kid,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “He needed it.”
Oregon (32-21) walked off the Bulldogs (32-14) 5-4 at PK Park in their final midweek game of the regular season.
“That’s the best feeling,” Ducks shortstop Josh Kasevich said. “That’s why you play.”
Right-hander Christian Ciuffetelli made his third start in eight days for Oregon. He pitched just one inning, but he induced three fly outs to work around a walk in a scoreless frame.
The Ducks manufactured a run in the bottom of the first. A pair of infield singles by Tanner Smith and Drew Cowley along with a wild pitch put runners on the corners. Smith appeared to steal home, but a balk was called, making the steal a moot point and giving the Ducks a 1-0 lead.
Kasevich then hit a two-run homer to make it 3-0. He initially missed first base but doubled back to step on it.
Stone Churby gave up a run in the second inning on a walk and a double. He recorded a key strikeout with two runners in scoring position, holding the Ducks’ 3-1 lead.
Caleb Sloan came in as the third Oregon pitcher in as many innings. Like the two who came before him, he walked a batter. He was able to work around a couple baserunners, inducing a tapper to catcher Bennett Thompson to end the inning.
Sloan pitched a perfect fourth inning as the game picked up. Each team began swinging earlier as 13 consecutive batters were retired.
The streak ended when Logan Mercado gave up consecutive two-out singles in the fifth inning. He induced a fly out to help Oregon escape another jam, clinging on to the two-run lead.
The Ducks’ bats stayed quiet against lefty Bradley Mullan after the three-run first inning. Mullan, who came in with more walks than strikeouts, struck out six and didn’t walk anyone through five innings. He retired 12 Ducks in a row, with the streak ending on Gavin Grant’s hit by pitch in the fifth.
“There was a stretch where the Gonzaga pitching was really, really tough, and they were getting us out,” Wasikowski said. “We weren’t able to square up balls.”
Oregon’s hitless streak ended an inning later when Cowley scratched out an infield single, but Cowley was caught stealing to end the frame.
Ducks lefty Rio Britton gave up a leadoff double in the seventh. They escaped once again as Britton recorded a pair of outs and Matt Dallas entered to retire the final batter of the inning.
Dallas immediately found himself facing another sticky situation after he gave up a single and hit a batter in the eighth. Kasevich caught a scorching liner for the second out, but Dallas then gave up a three-run homer, deflating the energy in the dimly lit stadium. Gonzaga finally broke through, taking a 4-3 lead.
The Ducks nearly responded with a scoring threat in the bottom of the eighth. Smith singled and stole second, the first time Oregon was able to put a runner on second since the first inning. Colby Shade scratched out an infield single and also stole second, putting two runners in scoring position.
Cowley, who had two hits on the night, came up with two outs. He worked a 3-1 count but ultimately foul tipped one into the catcher’s mitt, striking out to blow a massive opportunity.
But the Ducks didn’t let up. Kasevich led off the bottom of the ninth with an infield single that the third baseman couldn’t handle. Pinch hitter Tyler Ganus bunted him over to second, and another pinch hitter in Sam Novitske drew a walk.
Up came Walsh, who was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on the night. He smoked one into the right field corner, bringing both runners home as his team mobbed him in right-center field.
“I’m freezing,” Walsh said after getting drenched in Gatorade. “It was good. Teammates put me in a good spot to be able to come through and score them.”
With the win, the Ducks took both season matchups over the highly ranked Bulldogs.
Oregon will close out its regular season with three games against Arizona starting Thursday at 6 p.m. The Ducks will look to build off this momentum-boosting walk-off victory.
“Any walk-off feels great,” Walsh said. “Any win feels good. We kinda try to go about games all the same, like no game means more than anything else.”
