Usually, people say that the home team has the advantage. Being on their own turf, playing in front of their own crowd, the visitors typically have more obstacles than the game itself.
But, that wasn’t the case for UC Santa Barbara.
After moving the three-game series from Goleta, California, to Eugene due to poor field conditions, the Gauchos (4-4) played like the series was still at home.
Oregon (6-2) fell behind fast. RJ Gordon, the starter for the Ducks, gave up three straight hits to start the game. The third hit was an RBI double that left the remaining runners in scoring position.
The following batter for UCSB hit a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-0 with one out, and the third run scored after an error that happened shortly after.
The Ducks attempted to respond in the latter half of the inning with three straight singles from Drew Smith, Jeffery Heard and Bennett Thompson with two outs. But, Smith was called out at home when he tried to score.
Heard, a transfer from Sacramento State, extended his hitting streak to eight games with the first-inning single.
Smith finished the game 2-for-4, striking out twice. He was one of seven starters to strikeout for Oregon.
“I thought the plays in the first inning were probably a really critical piece in hindsight,” Mark Wasikowski, head coach for the Ducks, said.
On the mound for the Gauchos was Matt Ager, a third-team All-American last season who allowed four hits, two walks and eight strikeouts over 6.1 innings.
“They got a quality start from a really good arm, a Team USA-type arm,” Wasikowski said.
UC Santa Barbara loaded the bases with one out in the third and was able to add one more run to the board with a sacrifice fly. But, Thompson threw out the runner on second to end the inning.
Gordon finished his night (4.2 innings, four hits, three earned runs, four walks and six strikeouts) with two outs in the fifth inning before being replaced by freshman Toby Twist. He finished the game, allowing two runs across the final four innings with five strikeouts.
“Twist settled things down,” Wasikowski said. “I was really encouraged with Toby out here.”
The Ducks got their first and only run of the game in the bottom of the fifth. The homegrown freshman Ryan Cooney led off the inning with a single. He later advanced to second on a passed ball, advanced to third on a fly out and scored on an error to cut the deficit to three.
UCSB scored a run in the top of the sixth and retired the Duck batters in order in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. The Gauchos added their last run in the top of the ninth and Oregon loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but wasn’t able to produce anything.
Oregon looks to bounce back in Game 2. First pitch will be thrown at 2:05 pm.
