In his first start in almost a year, redshirt junior Cole Stringer’s stellar pitching performance put him on track to earn his first win since April 30 of 2017.
Stringer’s six strong innings, paired with two hitless innings from reliever Brett Walker, had the Ducks up 2-1 in the ninth. Christian Ciuffetelli entered the game looking for his first career save.
It wouldn’t be Oregon Ducks baseball if the home-opener didn’t have some type of dramatics, and tonight the bullpen provided them in the 3-2 victory over St. Mary’s .
After a loud fly out by St. Mary’s center fielder Ryan Novis, Ciuffetelli lost the strike zone. Two straight walks forced head coach George Horton to make a change. Left hander Nico Tellache took the mound and immediately walked a batter to make it a bases loaded, one out situation for the Gaels.
Tellache escaped further damage and provided the chance for the Ducks to walk-it-off in the bottom of the ninth.
Right fielder Jakob Goldfarb singled to lead off the inning. Freshman designated hitter Aaron Zavala singled to put runners on the corners with no outs. Pinch hitter Taylor Adams was intentionally walked to load the bases. With five in the infield for the Gaels, pitcher Ty Madrigal struck out another pinch hitter, Vinny Tosti.
With one out, nine hitter Tanner Smith plated Goldfarb, lacing a walk-off sacrifice fly over the five-man infield.
“I just went up there trying to find a ball I could elevate, put something in the air,“ Smith said. “With only two guys in the outfield, it’s likely to come down. … That was a great way to win.”
Stringer was originally slated to be Oregon’s starter last Monday against No. 8 Texas Tech but the game was rained out. With ace Kenyon Yovan inactive tonight, Stringer, who has spent most of his career as a Sunday or midweek pitcher, jumped at the opportunity to be the Friday night home-opening pitcher.
“Too bad he didn’t get the victory,” Horton said. “He stepped up when Kenyon went down. He was awfully excited to be the first pitcher at PK Park this year. … He was poised to take advantage of a great opportunity and I couldn’t be more proud of him. He really did a good job.”
Despite it ultimately resulting in a no-decision, Stringer utilized his fastball and a pitch-to-contact mindset to put forth a very successful effort on the mound. The lefty controlled the Gaels, ultimately out-pitching their lefty ace Ken Waldichuk.
“I had already waited a year to get back, and then to wait another week …” Stringer said. “But I was ready for it.”
The Ducks originally took the lead in the bottom of the sixth after a leadoff walk, two hit-by-pitches, and a Goldfarb single, which knocked in two runs.
The win marks the 350th since Oregon baseball returned. They will look for win No. 351 tomorrow in a doubleheader against the Gaels, which starts at 1 p.m.
“I think it’s huge,” Smith said. “Being able, for a home-opening series, to come out and start with a bang with a walk-off win. I think it sets a great tone for another great three games.”
Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack
