Oregon baseball led for most of Sunday’s series finale against Cal. The Ducks were on the brink of sweeping the Golden Bears ahead of four consecutive games against Oregon State, up 4-1 after five innings and 5-3 after six.

It all fell apart due to a bizarre inside-the-park grand slam in the eighth inning against the best closer in the Pac-12. Anthony Hall sprinted for his life to catch an unfortunately placed pop-up, but he overran it and four runs came across. He was hurt and had to be pulled from the game in the process.

The Ducks increased the pressure with a ninth-inning rally, but they came up just short of completing a miraculous comeback.

“Need to coach better,” Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “At the end of the day we lost the game, and that’s on the coach.”

Oregon (28-15) fell 9-8 to Cal (21-22), coming away with a series win but failing to complete the sweep.

“It’s better to win than lose,” Wasikowski said. “Winners get rewarded differently than losers. It’s that black and white in the world. When somebody wants to pat you on the back and tell you it’s okay, that’s the first thing that you’re gonna hear from a loser. It’s not okay.”

Right-hander Jace Stoffal made his fourth start for the Ducks, looking to establish himself as someone Oregon can rely on. Sitting low-90s with his fastball, he recorded a strikeout in his first inning of work while taking down the vaunted Dylan Beavers with a hard lineout.

Tanner Smith and Drew Cowley, who combined for seven hits on Saturday, led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles. Brennan Milone grounded into a double play and Jacob Walsh struck out as the Ducks failed to score.

Stoffal gave up a single and a double to start the second inning, but he worked out of the jam. He recorded a key strikeout for the second out, and Josh Kasevich ended the inning with an impressive play deep in the hole.

The Ducks led off the second inning with back-to-back singles for the second straight inning and nearly squandered the opportunity again. Kasevich was caught in a rundown after making the unwise decision to break for home, and Josiah Cromwick struck out with two runners in scoring position.

Gavin Grant made it a moot point though, smashing one off the rim of the wall for a three-run homer. Grant’s sixth homer of the year gave the Ducks a 3-0 lead.

Stoffal got into trouble again in the third after a single, a walk and a wild throwing error by Cromwick. Colby Shade then leaped over the fence to rob a three-run homer, the second day in a row an Oregon outfielder has stolen a home run. Instead of a game-tying blast, it was merely a sacrifice fly that got Cal on the board.

After giving up a leadoff single in the fourth, Stoffal was taken out having thrown just 45 pitches.

“Jace wasn’t sharp today,” Wasikowski said.

Logan Mercado entered and gave up a single, but he recorded back-to-back strikeouts as Cal wasted another opportunity. Mercado went on to throw a scoreless fifth, collecting three strikeouts in his outing.

“I thought he did a nice job,” Wasikowski said. “He came out there and he threw the ball over the plate, and he was competitive. Our team was very competitive today.”

The Ducks’ offense slowed down. They once again wasted back-to-back singles in the fifth, as Smith gave away an out with a sacrifice bunt and Cowley hit an unlucky liner to third.

Oregon finally extended its lead in the sixth, when Kasevich hit a solo homer off the right pole holding up the big scoreboard in left. It was Kasevich’s fifth of the year.

The Golden Bears rallied in the seventh, collecting a walk and a single off left-hander Rio Britton. After a sacrifice bunt, Britton intentionally walked Dylan Beavers to load the bases with two outs.

Christian Ciuffetelli came in and gave up a two-run single, cutting the Ducks’ lead to 4-3. After hitting a batter, he recorded a strikeout to end the inning and hold the one-run advantage.

Smith doubled in the seventh and came around to score on a passed ball. Milone and Kasevich walked, but Hall popped out to keep it a two-run game.

Closer Kolby Somers entered in the eighth for a two-out save. He had a rough start, walking two batters and then giving up two straight singles as Cal cut the Ducks’ lead in half. With the bases loaded and one out, Somers recorded a massive strikeout of Cal’s best hitter Beavers.

With two outs, Somers induced a pop-up to right field from Hance Smith, but Hall was shaded so far toward center that he had to sprint over. He ran too far and the ball fell for an inside-the-park grand slam. It was a catastrophic play for Oregon as the Golden Bears put up a five-spot. Hall was taken out of the game after tumbling while trying to make the catch.

Cal tacked on another run in the top of the ninth with a string of hits against Caleb Sloan.

Tyler Ganus kept Oregon alive with an RBI single with two outs in the ninth. Shade then singled off the second baseman’s glove to bring the tying run to the plate for Cromwick, who drew a gutsy walk. With the potential winning run at the plate, Grant hit one straight through the second baseman’s legs for a two-run error.

With the Ducks still down one, it all came down to Smith. He worked a 3-0 count but eventually rolled out to the first baseman. The Ducks came up just short, ultimately falling 9-8 after a rollercoaster final three innings.

“When you lose a baseball game, you reflect in the mirror,” Wasikowski said. “And as a coach, you know that you own that. Players play and coaches coach. When you lose, it’s the coach’s fault. We need to get better.”

Oregon’s schedule doesn’t get easier, as the team takes on four games against No. 2 Oregon State this week. The in-state rivals will play in Eugene on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before playing three in Corvallis next weekend.

“We lost today, and so we’re disappointed, but we’re gonna be ready to play on Tuesday,” Wasikowski said. “There’s no doubt about it. We’re looking forward to getting back on the ball field tomorrow.”