Oregon got enough out of its starting pitcher David Peterson, but couldn’t mount enough offense against the Washington State Cougars in a 3-1 loss Saturday night in Pullman, Washington.
Peterson (4-6) lasted 7.1 innings, allowing just three runs – two earned – on six hits, two walks and nine strikeouts, while the Duck offense scattered seven hits against Washington State’s Joe Pistorese (7-4).
The Ducks (28-22, 10-13) struck first in the sixth inning when Mitchell Tolman singled home Jakob Goldfarb, giving Oregon a 1-0 lead.
Washington State responded in the bottom half with a pair of RBI singles to take a 2-1 advantage.
Oregon ended up chasing Pistorese in the eighth inning after Mark Karaviotis led off the inning with a first pitch single, but the Ducks couldn’t mount any offense against Cougar relievers Sam Triece and Matt Bower.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Cougars got a single off Peterson before Oregon’s Cooper Stiles relieved Peterson with one out in the inning. Stiles watched the first batter he face reach on a Tolman fielding error. Stiles hit the next batter he saw to load the bases, then lost a wild pitch to give the Cougars a 3-1 lead.
Washington State’s closer Ian Hamliton picked up the save.
Oregon will throw either Conor Harber or Josh Graham, who gave up seven runs on 10 hits in 3.2 innings against Oregon State on Tuesday, in the rubber match Sunday afternoon.
First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.
Follow Josh Schlichter on Twitter @joshschlichter