Baseball is an unpredictable game.

In the midst of a depleted starting pitching staff, the Ducks turned to the one pitcher they’ve been able to rely on this season: Isaac Ayon. The sophomore righty was coming off two fantastic starts at PK Park. He was the rock in an unstable rotation.

Ayon went into his Saturday outing against No. 2 Stanford planning to utilize his changeup. That plan failed miserably. Ayon had a brutal performance, giving up eight runs without making it through the second inning.

Yet somehow, the Ducks won. Baseball.

Oregon is establishing itself as one of the top offensive teams in the nation. The hitters shined once again, completing a huge comeback against the Cardinal to win 16-13. The Ducks erased a six-run deficit, putting up 13 unanswered runs — six of which came in the eighth inning. The wild victory secured a series win over Stanford in Oregon’s first taste of Pac-12 play this year.

Making the comeback all the more improbable was the fact that the Ducks didn’t even go with their strongest offensive lineup. Drew Cowley got the day off, with Gavin Grant taking his place. Defensive-minded catcher Jack Scanlon also got the start instead of offensive weapon Josiah Cromwick.

Naturally, Grant and Scanlon combined for five hits and five RBIs.

The day began with a rough start by Ayon. In each of his previous two outings, Ayon retired the first 12 and the first nine batters he faced, respectively. Saturday was the opposite. The first four batters all scored against Ayon, hitting two doubles and a homer against the righty.

But Oregon got right back in it. After Anthony Hall was hit by a pitch and Sam Novitske singled, Scanlon smashed his second three-run homer of the week. The towering blast got the Ducks back within a run, 4-3 in the second.

Ayon continued to struggle though. The first 11 pitches he threw in the bottom of the second were balls, leading to three consecutive walks and loading the bases. A double and a single brought in two more runs. Ayon’s day ended with Stanford up 7-3.

Free passes continue to haunt Oregon pitchers.

Reliever Matt Dallas allowed a single to make it 8-3, but he limited the damage to one inherited run. Ayon’s final line was ugly, with three walks, seven hits and eight earned runs being charged to his name in 1 1/3 innings.

In the third, Dallas allowed a run of his own on two singles and yet another free pass, this time a hit by pitch.

Hits from Scanlon and Grant put two on for Oregon in the fourth. A run came home on a wild pitch to make it 9-4. 

The Ducks continued to chip away, putting up a four-spot in the fifth. Hall doubled, Novitske singled and Grant tripled to cut the deficit to 9-8.

Logan Mercado pitched two scoreless innings in relief, working around two hits and two walks to keep Oregon in the game.

The Ducks’ Christian Ciuffetelli got into trouble in the sixth, but Scanlon saved the inning. After Ciuffetelli gave up a single, Scanlon threw out the runner trying to steal second. Ciuffetelli then allowed a walk and made a throwing error. Rio Britton came in and threw a wild pitch, nearly allowing a run to score, but Scanlon made a great play at the plate to keep Stanford off the board.

Oregon completed the unbelievable offensive comeback in the eighth. After Tanner Smith and Brennan Milone reached base, Jacob Walsh tied it up with a single to center. Josh Kasevich instantly followed with another single, giving the Ducks their first lead of the day, 10-9.

After falling behind 4-0 and 9-3, with their starting pitcher unable to make it through two innings, the Ducks somehow roared back. Against one of the highest ranked teams in the country. Astonishing is the only way to describe it.

Grant poured salt in Stanford’s wound by hitting a three-run double, making it 14-9. It was an enormous six-run eighth inning for Oregon. The eighth has often been a source of high offense for the Ducks this season.

Colby Shade, batting in the two-hole for the first time, collected his first hit of the day in the ninth. He stole second and came around on a throwing error to add another run. Hall followed with an RBI single to make it 16-9 as the Ducks just kept pouring it on.

Oregon’s Dylan Sabia pitched a scoreless eighth but struggled in the ninth. The first four batters scored against him, with a three-run homer and a solo shot being hit back-to-back. The Cardinal cut the Ducks’ lead to 16-13, but Sabia settled down there, retiring the final three batters to cap off the enthralling victory.

The game finally ended after four hours and 26 minutes, an absurdly long time for a nine-inning game.

Oregon is now 2-0 in Pac-12 play and has secured its first conference series win of the year.

The Ducks (10-5) will look to complete a sweep of the Cardinal (8-5) Sunday at 12:05 p.m.