The Oregon baseball team came away with a 7-7 tie on Wednesday on the road against Seattle after the game was called due to rain in the top of the 10th inning. Neither team will add a win or a loss to its overall record.
It was an especially frustrating turn of events for Oregon, which held a 7-5 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning before allowing the Redhawks to tie the game with two late runs.
Five of Oregon’s runs came in the top of the second inning, as freshman left fielder Kyle Garlick started things off by blasting a two-run home run to left-center field. Junior catcher Paul Eshleman followed with an RBI single to push across the third run, and the Ducks tacked on two more with an RBI fielder’s choice and a steal of home during a pickoff attempt.
Seattle bounced back quickly in the bottom half of the inning. Two RBI singles cut the lead to 5-2, and a third run came home when Oregon freshman starter Porter Clayton issued a bases-loaded walk.
Clayton was pulled with the bases still loaded after lasting just 1 2/3 innings, and junior reliever Scott McGough limited the damage with a strikeout to finally end the inning.
The Redhawks rallied once again to tie the game at five in the bottom of the third inning, as third baseman Cullen Hendrickson hit a two-run double to left-center field. Oregon regained the lead when Eshleman homered to left field in the top of the fourth inning, and added an insurance run in the ninth inning to make it 7-5.
It appeared that the win was in hand, but Seattle saved its best for the bottom of the ninth inning. Michael Tevlin singled in a run to bring the Redhawks within one, and they finally tied the game when Tevlin scored from third base on an error. The winning run was on second base, but a strikeout ended the threat and pushed the game into extra innings.
Oregon loaded the bases in the top of the 10th, but it was then that the weather simply became too much, and the game was called.