After a stellar showing from the Oregon Ducks’ pitching staff in the season opener against LMU, the team was unable to replicate that success in an 9-3 defeat at the hands of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Rebels in the second round of the Marucci Classic on Saturday.
Ducks starting pitcher Cole Stringer struggled, allowing four runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings. Cullen Kafka suffered a similarly rough day, giving up four runs in just two innings pitched.
Despite the end result, the Ducks got off to a decent start.
UNLV got on the board in the first inning on an RBI single from Kyle Isbel to give them a 1-0 lead. The Ducks struck back in the third inning however, when Evan Williams sent Kenyon Yovan home on an RBI single of his own.
Oregon was able to add another pair of runs, with some help from their opponents. On a single from Kyle Kasser, a throwing error from the rebels allowed Ray Soderman to score. Jonny Deluca followed that up with a sacrifice fly that sent Evan Williams across the plate to give the Ducks a 3-1 lead.
The Rebels broke the game open in the fifth inning with a RBI double from Jack-Thomas Wold. Stringer went on to give up an RBI single and a sacrifice fly that put the Ducks down 4-3 before being replaced by Kafka. The reliever managed to strike out the side.
Oregon’s bats went quiet for the rest of the game and the team didn’t score again. The Rebels didn’t ease up. Kafka gave up four more runs in the sixth and seventh innings, before he was pulled for Peyton Fuller. He proceeded to allow another run on a wild pitch before the night was through.
The Ducks will look to bounce back on Sunday when they face Indiana State at 11:05 a.m.
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