The Ducks found out Thursday night that sometimes playing small ball is just as effective, if not more so, than spending the night trying for home runs.
Although the eighth-seeded Ducks only mustered three singles, two coming off shortstop Scott Marchione’s bat, they were somehow able to manage a 5-2 upset of the top-of-the-bracket Nittany Lions of Penn State in the opening game of the National College Baseball Association World Series, played at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla.
What the Ducks followed up each of their baserunners with turned out to be the key in their solving Penn State and starter Peter Chaflin.
After leading off the game with a walk, a sacrifice bunt and bouncer back to the mound, Quentin Clark found himself on third base and in position to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead on a Chaflin wild pitch during Bryan Hansen’s at-bat.
The Ducks’ station-to-station attack allowed them to chip away at the Lions. Of the three times Oregon got its leadoff man on, the next hitter moved him over on twice, with the second instance leading to the two runs that eventually put the Ducks over the top.
After hitting the ball hard for most of the season, this small-ball attack only strengthens what Oregon believes to be its chances of returning home with a championship.
“For our team, that’s big. Usually we hit the ball well, it’s kind of scary actually. If we start playing small baseball like we did tonight and start manufacturing hits, we’re going to be deadly,” starting pitcher Bryan Hansen said.
After getting touched for 10 runs in his only start at Regionals, Hansen was eager to prove that he could regain the form that made him Oregon’s ace all season long.
“Coming off the Regionals, I didn’t feel too great as far as pitching. It felt good to get back on the mound as a pitcher, to get back out there and do it again.”
For his part, Hansen was masterful. The junior righthander worked through the Penn State lineup for eight and two-thirds innings of two-run baseball. Hansen kept the Lions’ bats in check most of the way, working out of jams in the first, fourth and eighth innings with only minimal damage.
Senior stopper Greg Wells came on with two outs in the ninth and got the only batter he faced to ground to third to save the game for Hansen and the Ducks, marking the first win for Oregon in the first round of a World Series.
With one win in the books, Oregon may have a chance to exorcise some demons on Saturday when they play the winner of Friday’s game between Illinois and defending-champion Colorado State. Although the Rams have eliminated the Ducks from the tournament the last three years, Oregon says it is ready this time around and will not be satisfied with anything other short of a title.
“Our morale is up. We’re ready to continue to win. Knocking off the one-seed gives us a great mentality going into the next round, whether it’s Colorado State or Illinois,” pitcher and club coordinator Jonathan Jwayad said.
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