There was no dramatic ninth-inning comeback, no extra-inning thrills and no managerial ejections, but Oregon will take it just the same.
After dropping two of three up-and-down, tension-filled contests to Wichita State (17-8), the Ducks (14-9) baseball team came back with a 6-1 win Sunday to earn a series split with the Shockers.
“The kids had to be tired, they invested a lot,” Oregon head coach George Horton said. “I challenged them (Sunday) to have the best attitude.”
Although he wasn’t credited with a win, freshman Ryon Healy performed admirably in the first start of his collegiate career. Healy overcame a 33-minute rain delay in the third inning to throw 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball and struck out five.
“Kudos to Ryon Healy with his first start,” Horton said. “He got us deep in the game, and with the rain delay even, deserved to come out of that game with no runs.”
Alex Keudell was summoned from the bullpen with two out in the top of the sixth inning and earned his third win of the season with 3 1/3 scoreless frames in relief of Healy.
Meanwhile, Oregon’s offense finally broke through.
Down by one in the bottom of the sixth, the Ducks exploded for five runs to gain a commanding lead. Shortstop KC Serna put the Ducks ahead with a two-run single, and Danny Pulfer, Aaron Jones and Kyle Garlick each added RBI before the inning concluded.
Oregon added an insurance run in the eighth inning when Jones singled to center to score catcher Jack Marder.
Saturday
Oregon fell 7-6 to Wichita State in 17 innings, the longest game in PK Park history. The teams combined for 110 at-bats, 26 hits, four ejections (including both Horton and Wichita State head coach Gene Stephenson) and 35 men left on base in a contest that took six hours and four minutes.
Ultimately, the Shockers pushed across the winning run in the top of the 17th when shortstop Kevin Grimes hit a single to center field to score Don Lambert. Ducks reliever Scott McGough was tagged with the loss, despite pitching five nearly flawless innings.
However, Oregon required a dramatic comeback to even get to extra innings. Trailing 6-4 in the ninth, J.J. Altobelli tied things up with a two-out, two-RBI single to right center field to knock in Jones and Garlick. Altobelli advanced to third base later in the inning, but was stranded when Pulfer grounded out.
Wichita State got on the scoreboard first, with a single run in the third inning. Oregon answered with three in the bottom of the third, highlighted by a two-run homer by Marder. The Shockers trimmed Oregon’s lead to 3-2 with a single run in the fourth, then went ahead 5-3 with a three-run fifth inning. Oregon added a single run in the bottom of the fifth, and Wichita State a single run in the seventh.
Friday (Game One)
Oregon won its eighth straight game, 2-1, in the first game of a four-game set with Wichita State.
Tyler Anderson pitched seven strong innings, allowing only one run while striking out seven to earn his fourth victory of the season. Wichita State’s Tim Kelley was tagged with the hard-luck loss.
After the Shockers scratched out a run off Anderson in the third, the Ducks answered with a run in the fourth on a throwing error by Wichita State shortstop Tyler Grimes.
The Ducks took the lead in the sixth inning on a fielder’s choice by Altobelli that scored Connor Hofmann.
Kellen Moen was summoned from the Oregon bullpen in relief of Anderson in the eighth inning, and he earned his fourth save of the year with two scoreless frames.
Friday (Game Two)
The Ducks blew a four-run lead, and fell 6-5 to Wichita State in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader. Trailing 6-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth, Oregon loaded the bases with one out, but was only able to push across one run. Oregon took a four-run lead into the fifth inning, but the Shockers scored four runs of their own to even the contest. Wichita State went ahead in the top of the ninth on a two-run single by catcher Chris O’Brien, and the Ducks were unable to come up with the equalizer in the bottom of the frame.
The Ducks will begin the Pacific-10 Conference portion of their schedule Friday when they visit Arizona State for a three-game series.
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Oregon baseball splits dramatic series with Wichita State
Daily Emerald
March 27, 2011
Michael Ciaglo
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