Oregon prided themselves on late-inning comebacks this season.
Sunday, the Ducka failed to deliver and saw their magical postseason run come to an end. Oregon stranded the bases loaded with no outs and the game on the line in a 2-1 extra innings loss to No. 2 Iowa in the Springfield Regional.
The Ducks fell 3-1 to Iowa in their regional opener Friday and knocked Canisius out in a do-or-die game yesterday.
Stephen Nogosek dealt 4.2 innings of one-hit relief and was credited with the loss in his 39th appearance of the season, marking the most all-time in a single season by an Oregon pitcher. He and starting pitcher Josh Graham scattered five hits over 10.2 combined innings, but the offense’s one run of support proved insufficient.
Mark Karaviotis singled, stole second then advanced to third on a passed ball to get the ball rolling in the third inning. With two outs, Austin Grebeck legged out a bang-bang infield single to score Karaviotis for the game’s first run.
Iowa lead-off hitter Eric Toole scored on Graham’s wild pitch to knot the score in the sixth. Left fielder Phil Craig-St. Louis preserved the tie by throwing a one-hop seed to catcher Tim Susnara to nab Corbin Woods at the plate.
Nogosek walked the bases loaded in the seventh, but struck out Jake Mangler with a 95-mph upstairs fastball to escape the jam.
Oregon missed a golden opportunity to walk off with no outs, the bases loaded and a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the ninth. But Brandon Cuddy struck out swinging and pinch hitter J.B. Bryant grounded into a double play to send the game into extras.
Nogosek appeared to pick a runner off first in the 11th, but the first base umpire ruled a balk and the runner advanced to second. The runner scored the next play on Daniel Aaron Moriel’s single up the middle to provide Iowa the winning run.
After squeaking in the playoffs, the Ducks failed to advance to Super Regionals for the third straight season. Oregon’s streak of four straight seasons with 40+ victories is over.
As a team, the Ducks had a mediocre .256 batting average and 3.71 ERA. The coaching staff struggled to find answers with a high influx of new players, and the players never settled into a rhythm. The coaching staff changed the batting order and lineup from that of the previous game in all but a handful of occasions in 2015.
Mitchell Tolman, along with numerous rostered Ducks, expects to hear his name called come the MLB Draft in June. Tolman led Oregon in batting average for the second consecutive season and broke four all-time program offensive records.
No. 4 St. John’s, who Oregon swept earlier this season, won the Stillwater Regional, so Oregon would have hosted Super Regionals if it won it won the Springfield Regional.
Iowa will battle Missouri State for the title at 7 p.m. on just a couple hours rest.
Follow Kenny Jacoby on Twitter @KennyJacoby