Days after UCLA swept them in Los Angeles, the Ducks redeemed themselves with a win over Oregon State at PK Park Wednesday night.
Oregon got off to a blistering start, scoring seven runs in the second inning, but slowed down and nearly allowed to Beavers to catch up. Oregon State totaled five runs between the fourth and sixth innings, but the Ducks used a combination of eight pitchers to squash the comeback effort.
The Ducks managed to score their runs on just five hits, three walks and three hit batsmen. They knocked Oregon State starting pitcher Austin Martinek out in the second inning after Steven Packard led off with a double and Nick Catalano was hit by a pitch. Austin Kelly entered in Martinek’s relief, but only made matters worse. Kelly walked the first batter he faced and gave up RBI singles to Daniel Patzlaff and Tim Susnara. The Ducks scored on four straight at-bats, and Kelly’s day was done. He was charged with four runs.
The damage wasn’t done. Jake Bennett brought two runs home with a two-out double to right-center, and Nick Catalano singled home another in his second at-bat of the inning. The Ducks led 7-0 when the Beavers finally escaped the disastrous frame.
The Beavers chipped away. They battered reliever Kyle Robeniol for three runs; Robeniol recorded just one out before Parker Kelly took his place. Cooper Stiles came in for Kelly in the sixth and gave up a pair of runs in 1.0 innings.
The Ducks could not get anything else going offensively after the second. Oregon State reliever Scotland Church tossed 6.1 innings and only allowed one run on two hits. Church recorded 10 consecutive outs at one point.
Oregon closer Stephen Nogosek survived a scare in the top of the ninth to seal the win. He entered with a 7-5 lead and walked the second batter he faced. The next hitter, Christian Donahue, singled and Jakob Goldfarb bobbled it in right field, allowing the baserunner to score and cutting the lead to 7-6. But the reliable Nogosek forced a pop-up and ended the night with a strikeout.
Oregon’s (18-16, 7-8 Pac-12) conference record did not improve because the game was considered out-of-conference.
The Ducks will play a three-game series against Washington State this weekend.
Follow Kenny Jacoby on Twitter @KennyJacoby