In the sixth inning of the second game of a doubleheader against Eastern Washington on Saturday, it looked like all was lost for the Oregon club baseball team.
The Ducks had put forth one of their worst efforts of the year in the first game of the Northern Pacific West (NOPAC) league opening doubleheader that resulted in a 5-1 loss. Trailing 5-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth in the second game, it seemed like the Ducks would endure another troubling defeat at the hands of the visiting Eagles.
But because of some timely late-game heroics, that didn’t happen.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, senior Corey Johnson singled, then was advanced to second base on a Ryan Redding single. Second baseman Travis Knapp then made the score 5-4 with an RBI groundout, as Redding and Johnson both advanced extra bases due to an Eastern Washington throwing error.
Outfielder/pitcher Cam Gaulke proceeded to tie the game at five with a single that drove in Redding, and he was then driven home by a Cooper Mandelblatt single to give the Ducks a 6-5 lead. A pair of walks to Jacob Schumacher and Travis Reed, combined with some shoddy defensive play from Eastern Washington, allowed the Ducks to gain a 7-5 advantage.
Oregon survived a minor threat from the Eagles in the top of the seventh to earn a 7-6 win and salvage a split of the doubleheader.
Gaulke picked up the win for the Ducks with two shutout innings and four strikeouts, while Redding and Johnson contributed most of the offensive fireworks with five combined hits.
With the third game of the series between Eastern Washington and Oregon scheduled for Sunday getting rained out, the Ducks’ NOPAC record is now even at 1-1. Because Oregon only plays 12 league games (including the rain out against Eastern Washington on Sunday), a sweep could have put the Ducks in the driver’s seat to make the playoffs.
But after the frustrating 5-1 loss earlier Saturday, the postseason was the furthest thing from the Ducks’ minds.
Senior Evan Coller started on the mound for the Ducks and only allowed two earned runs in his five innings of work, but the Ducks defense had trouble making plays behind him.
“We made defensive mistakes,” head coach Chad Franke said. “I think we made six errors. The field conditions weren’t up to par.”
At the same time the defense was struggling to get into rhythm, the Duck offense completely shut down. The team only had one extra base hit and never seriously threatened Eastern Washington’s lead.
Still, at this early juncture in the season, wins and losses aren’t necessarily the sole focus of Franke’s and the rest of the Ducks’ team. With numerous key players from last year’s squad leaving the team in the offseason, Oregon has counted on a number of true freshmen to provide immediate contributions for the 2010 season.
“First-year player Jacob Schumacher at first base, freshman catcher Alex Cole, and freshman third baseman Pat Canepa have shown signs of leadership that this team needs now and the program will need in the future,” Franke said.
Although that trio of youngsters has only combined to have five hits in 30 at bats, their defensive contributions have gone a long ways toward the Ducks’ success.
“Those three new guys, Schumacher, Canepa, and Cole… offensive stats don’t really show how they are anchoring our defense from three corners, first base, third base, and catcher,” Franke said.
Moving forward into the heart of league play, the Ducks will need their freshmen to continue playing at a high level. After another week off, the Ducks will travel to Central Oregon Community College for a three-game weekend series on April 10 and 11.
“We’re pretty young, so all of our guys are kind of getting acclimated to club baseball and getting out of the high school mode,” Gaulke said. “I think we have a lot of talent and are starting to figure it out.”
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