The Oregon Ducks beat the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 3-2 Friday evening thanks to a walk-off home run by junior second baseman Gavin Grant on the first pitch in the bottom of the ninth.

“It was pretty special; I’ve never had a walk-off home run before,” Grant said. “It’s something I’m going to remember forever.”

After dropping their first three games of the season, the Ducks scored 79 runs in their next five, boasting one of the hottest offenses in the country. 

“Early in the season, we would have lost a high school team in the first week and then last week probably would have been able to play with anybody in the country,” Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said.  

But it was a true pitchers duel in the first game of the series between Oregon’s Adam Maier and Santa Barabara’s Cory Lewis through three innings, until Gauchos second baseman Zander Darby cracked a solo home run that barely snuck over the left field wall. 

Darby led off the top of the seventh with another home run on a 3-0 count that was smashed to deep center.  

Oregon’s Anthony Hall went 3-for-4 on the day with two singles and a triple in the second. 

Maier had a solid outing regardless but was taken out after some apparent forearm discomfort. He was relieved by Matt Dallas after tossing 5 1/3 innings, giving up just the one earned run and fanning six. 

Lewis was taken out in the bottom of the seventh after allowing a single right away to red-hot Ducks outfielder Colby Shade. He struck out two batters and gave up five hits but was charged with a run after being replaced by sophomore right-hander Michael Rice, who allowed Shade to score after a pair of fielder’s choices.

Wasikowski was heated when an obvious blown call occurred, as third baseman Drew Cowley nudged a ball that was rolling foul until it was touched by Rice, though the home plate umpire ruled it foul — an array of boos from the home crowd followed. 

The following play, Wasikowski exploded with anger after another questionable no-call on what should have been a balk by Rice. Wasikowski was tossed from the game after the display of emotion.

Kolby Somers entered in the top of the ninth in relief of Rio Britton. After allowing the first two batters to reach, Somers struck out the next three to close out the top of the ninth. 

A huge momentum swing to say the least.

“Striking three guys out was really clutch,” Wasikowski said.“The way the inning materialized it was pretty special, I wish I was able to see all that kind of stuff.”

On the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth, Grant made contact with the first pitch thrown by Ryan Harvey that cleared the left field fence. PK Park went nuts as the team mobbed Grant at home plate. 

The Ducks, having won six in a row, look to ride this hot streak in the doubleheader Saturday against the Gauchos starting at 2 p.m.