It was an uphill battle, and Oregon’s baseball players seemed too inexperienced to stay alive.
Battling against the possibility of being eliminated from the 2004 National Club Baseball Association World Series, No. 8 Oregon (19-8 overall, 13-5 Pacific Mountain Conference) took on No. 4 Central Michigan (18-10 overall, 9-1 Great Lakes North Conference) in the first game of the consolation round on May 28.
But a 9-6 loss Friday put Oregon out of the tournament at McKechnie Field — a Spring Training venue — and the experience of playing among seven of the best teams in the country was over in only two games.
Going into the matchup, Oregon hoped to fix some of the mistakes that had occurred in Wednesday’s 10-1 loss to No. 1 Colorado State. The Ducks knew they needed to score more runs and improve their defensive game if they wanted to capture their first-ever win at the NCBA World Series.
Again, Oregon faltered in the first inning. Pitcher Jordan Shaw gave up a three-run home run to Central Michigan’s Jacy Harnois. Harnois’ 425-foot home run gave Central Michigan a commanding 4-0 first-inning lead.
“The first inning and the home run took the wind out of our sails,” catcher Jon Loomis said.
From then on, the Ducks could not find their offensive and pitching threats that carried them past the 2003 NCBA National Champions, Weber State, in the Northern Pacific Regional Tournament last month. Even with hits from Loomis, first baseman Jeffrey Douglas and right fielder Brad Ficek that put two runs on the board in the second inning, Oregon never came within two runs of Central Michigan.
Despite the Ducks’ three-run rally late in the seventh and final inning, Central Michigan’s pitchers got the best of Oregon, Douglas said.
“We didn’t do a good job of taking pitches,” Douglas said. “We let him play his game and we didn’t get the hits we needed.”
After Oregon’s losses to both Colorado State and Central Michigan, Ficek said Oregon’s “inexperience and nerves” might have played a factor in both games.
“We spent a lot of time and energy trying to get here, and we couldn’t recover fast enough to be ready in time for the World Series,” Ficek said.
Even though Oregon will go home without a win after their debut, Loomis said the team will be better prepared for next season. Although the team’s goal was to make a decent showing in Bradenton, Fla., Loomis said it is important to keep in mind that most championship teams have struggled in past years before they experience success at the World Series.
“The biggest thing is that we now know what we need to do differently,” Loomis said. “In the past, teams needed two or three or even four tries before they won a game. A lot of teams have gone 0-2 and then have come back and won a national championship.”
Colorado State — Oregon’s first-round opponent — beat North Carolina State in the championship game Monday, 8-1, and was crowned the 2004 NCBA National Champions.