Oregon’s usual seventh, eighth and ninth inning pitchers all threw in a game the No. 3 Ducks technically didn’t need to have. They lost it, 4-2 to No. 7 Utah, leaving the Oregon bullpen depleted for a must-win game tomorrow afternoon. 

The Utes, with nothing to play for but pride, ended their season with a win. They pushed Oregon’s back up against the wall and snapped its five-game winning streak. 

Whether Utah saved their ace for the Ducks or just wanted to give him an extra day’s rest is unknown, but the Utes sent Bryson Van Sickle to the mound for Wednesday’s contest. Van Sickle — who was announced as the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year midway through the game — recorded another quality start as he kept the Ducks’ bats at bay. 

He was the star of the day, going 7.0 innings, allowing just one earned run and fanning six. 

“When you’re facing a guy as good as him, you’re going to need to be at your best, and we weren’t,” Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said. 

In a surprising turn of events, Brock Moore made his first start of the season for the Ducks. The right-handed flamethrower has been a force to be reckoned with out of Oregon’s bullpen, but was used as a starter against the Utes.

Moore allowed a runner to reach scoring position in each of his first three frames, but was able to work out of each as he tallied six strikeouts through his first three innings. 

“I’m happy for Brock,” Wasikowski said. “He’s consistently thrown well and I think he threw well again today. He threw exceptionally well. I’m excited for Brock, but disappointed we didn’t win.”

Carter Garate opened the scoring by scampering home from third on a wild pitch. A Mason Neville checked-swing caused enough confusion for Garate to score. Oregon took a 1-0 lead. 

Moore’s luck ran out in the bottom of the fourth. After a leadoff single from Kaden Carpenter, Matt Flaharty ripped a triple to right field to tie the game. Flaharty would be stranded, but the Utes had tied the game. 

“It’s baseball, you’re gonna get hit,” Moore said. “You just can’t let it affect you.”

Bryce Boettcher took the lead back in the fourth. He followed a Chase Meggers double with an RBI single to put Oregon back ahead. 

Moore’s day ended in the same frame after allowing his fourth leadoff hit in five innings. He was relieved for Logan Mercado — who’s typically a closer — who immediately allowed a hit and a pair of walks as Utah tied the game.

Moore’s day was unconventional, but effective. Despite allowing seven hits across his 4.0 innings of work, he only allowed two runs — the leadoff man in the fifth came around to score — while collecting seven strikeouts and only issuing one walk. 

“It was kind of the same mindset of a long reliever as it is a starter,” Moore said. 

Utah just couldn’t capitalize consistently. Wednesday’s score could have easily been 8-2 in favor of Utah, but the Utes were just 2-13 with runners in scoring position. 

Bradley Mullan took over on the hill for the seventh. The Ducks’ three best relievers toed the rubber on Wednesday, likely making them unavailable for tomorrow’s crucial game. 

“I would love to have been able to just use two of [the Ducks’ best arms],” Wasikowski said. “But in order to win the game, you gotta do what you gotta do. We’re going game-by-game in this thing, and one game at a time.”

The Utes struck again in the seventh. Fortunately for Oregon, an inning that featured three runs and a pair of walks only brought home two runs, thanks in large part to Meggers back-picking a runner at third. 

The Ducks’ rally never came. They lost the only game they could really afford to lose. Now, they need to be perfect the rest of the way. They have to beat No. 4 USC tomorrow, and they’ll be without their three best arms out of the bullpen.

Wednesday was a weird game all around. From Garate’s opening run to the Utes being 6-8 to open innings but stranding 10 on base, the game looked a lot closer than it actually was.

The win marks the end of the Pac-12 era for Utah baseball. The Utes were officially eliminated from moving on in the tournament, and likely will not make the NCAA Tournament. Wednesday’s contest was likely the last time Utah will don the Pac-12 patch on its sleeve.

Oregon takes on No. 4 USC tomorrow afternoon. The Trojans defeated the Utes 7-6 on Tuesday. The winner of Thursday’s matchup will win Pool C and advance to the semifinal round. Needless to say, it’s a massive game for the Ducks’ title aspirations. First pitch is slated for 2:30 p.m. and RJ Gordon will start for Oregon.