Midway through the second inning, the Ducks were looking good. They had scored six runs on seven hits and chased the Aggies’ ace from Saturday’s contest.

Unfortunately for Oregon, No. 3 Texas A&M boasts such a high ranking for a reason, and demonstrated it as the Aggies rallied for a 10-6 win.

Anson Aroz got the scoring going in the first. After Mason Neville singled to open the ballgame, Aroz sent his fifth homer of the season out to right field to hand the Ducks an early 2-0 advantage. 

RJ Gordon’s start was immediately met with resistance, as the Aggies jumped all over him in the first. A string of two walks and four hits gave way to three Texas A&M runs crossing the plate as the Ducks watched their 2-0 lead become a 3-2 deficit. 

Despite claiming the lead, the Aggies lost one of their best players, Braden Montgomery, who injured his foot trying to score. He exited the game in an air cast and it’s unlikely that he’ll return in the Super Regional.

Saturday’s game was a complete reversal of the Ducks’ regional win in Santa Barbara. The offense supplied plenty of support, but Oregon pitching struggled early on. 

A sac-fly off the bat of Neville tied the game in the top of the second, and another RBI from Aroz gave the Ducks the lead again. It was followed by a Chase Meggers double as Oregon went up 6-3 in the second frame. 

The Aggies pulled their starter, Ryan Prager, who went just 1.2 innings while allowing six hits on seven runs. Texas A&M turned to its closer, Chris Cortez, in the second, with hopes to halt an Oregon offense that had suddenly come alive. 

He did just that. Cortes went 5.2 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and fanning 10. He completely silenced the Ducks’ bats and ensured that the six early runs would be all Oregon had to show on the day. 

Gordon continued to work long innings. He allowed another run to score in the third as A&M pulled closer. The fourth inning would be his last. A pair of fielding errors and some hits in the inning gave way to A&M tying the game, and then taking the lead. 

Ryan Featherston relieved Gordon, but struggled to find the zone. Across just 0.2 innings, he issued four walks and was responsible for three earned runs. 

Once the Aggies had that lead, they never looked back. Their bullpen shut the Ducks down for the last seven innings and worked out of several jams with runners on base.

Walks hurt the Ducks’ pitching staff on Saturday as they issued nine free passes. Now, their backs are against the wall as they must win tomorrow to force a winner-take-all game on Monday.

Grayson Grinsell will get the start tomorrow with the season on the line. First pitch is slated for 4:30 PST.