Oregon dropped the opening game of its first Super Regional since 1954 to Kent State 7-6 despite 11 free passes issued by Kent State’s pitching. Adding to coach George Horton’s frustrations were three Duck errors and 12 runners left on base — simply not the kind of numbers that cut it in a postseason baseball.
“I don’t recall ever losing a game where the opposition walked us 11 times,” Horton said.
The win was Kent State’s 21st consecutive victory dating back to April 25, and the Golden Flashes (45-17) are now within striking distance of their first College World Series berth in school history.
“Every win for us from here on out is the biggest win in school history,” Kent State head coach Scott Stricklin said.
Kent State struck first in the top of the third with a single from Jimmy Rider and added another run on the next play after an Duck fielding error allowed Rider to score from first base. Oregon (45-18) responded quickly, cutting the deficit to 2-1 in their own half of the third inning on a Ryon Healy groundout that cashed J.J. Altobelli in from third.
Kent State expanded on its lead in the fourth inning after T.J. Sutton lead off the inning with a walk.
Oregon again threatened in its own half of the fourth, loading the bases on three walks, but the Ducks couldn’t get a run across. Aaron Payne appeared to be hit by a pitch with the bases loaded but home plate umpire Chris Coskey ruled that Payne leaned into the pitch, much to the dismay of a record PK Park crowd of 4117.
Oregon didn’t pick up its first hit until the fifth inning when Ryon Healy hit a single into center field, but the Ducks scored just once in the inning after Kent State added two more in the top of the fifth.
Trailing 5-2 heading into the sixth, Oregon started to score runs just as Alex Keudell began to settle down on the mound. When the Duck ace left the mound in the eighth inning, Oregon had cut the lead to 5-4 and Keudell had retired seven of the last eight batters he faced. After Tommy Thorpe struck out the only batter he faced, Horton gave the ball to Jimmie Sherfy, who nearly got the Ducks out of the inning only to see Kent State score two more runs on an error by Aaron Jones.
“It might have looked easy for the stands and the dugout, and it’s probably a play the he makes 99 times out of 100,” Horton said. “I’m not going to blame the loss on what we didn’t do. We don’t talk about that … In retrospect, let’s blame me.”
It was one of three errors on the night for the normally sure-handed Ducks leading to five unearned runs for Kent State and it to some extent broke open what was starting to become a close game, but Oregon again pressured in the ninth inning, scoring two runs and bringing the winning run to second base for Altobelli, but the shortstop flew out to center to end the game.
“It’s a tough sport,” Horton said. “J.J. Altobelli had a perfect at-bat for the last out of the game, and their centerfielder made a heck of a play.”
Oregon returns to the field today at 7 p.m. needing a win to force a deciding game three on Monday.
“Its win or the season’s over for us now,” Altobelli said.
Oregon hasn’t won a series when losing the first game since a season opening loss to Hawaii, but Horton said that’s not going to intimidate the Ducks.
“Strange things happen in critical situations,” Horton said. “That’s what I’m going to challenge my team with and tell them we haven’t won a series when we lost on Friday since Hawaii, and if I know my guys the way I know them they’re going to look at me and say ‘watch this.’”