Oregon’s closing role is an open competition so far this season.
And in the top of the eighth inning and a 4-3 lead, Oregon head coach George Horton turned to junior left hander Nico Tellache. Loyola Marymount had runners on second and third with two outs — and had already cut it to the one-run lead earlier in the inning — with leadoff hitter Nick Sogard at the plate.
Tellache worked him to a 2-2 count, then gave him an offspeed pitch that Sogard swung on and missed. In the ninth, Tellache faced the Lions’ 2-3-4 hitters and had a 1-2-3 inning to close the game for Oregon.
“That’s what I visualized and been wanting,” he said. “It was fun.”
Oregon defeated Loyola Marymount 4-3 Friday afternoon at PK Park. The Ducks (5-2) drove in runs with some small ball, while both teams left runs on the table, stranding a combined 22 runners on base.
In the fourth inning, and with the game tied at one, Loyola Marymount’s Kenny Oyama singled load the bases with two outs. But the Ducks got out of the jam. Brandon Shearer hit a grounder to first baseman Gabe Matthews, who threw it to the covering Kafka, and the Ducks avoided further damage.
Oregon failed to capitalize on its own bases loaded scenario a half inning later.
Spencer Steer and Mathews both singled, and Aaron Zavala walked with one out. Taylor Adams struck out swinging. Second baseman Max Foxcroft, who is batting .118 this season, swung at the first pitch and flew out to left field.
Oregon got its chance to pull away in the sixth inning. With runners on first and second with no outs, Jakob Goldfarb bunted down the first base line. First baseman Trevin Esquerra dove to tag Goldfarb out but missed him, leaving the bases loaded with no outs.
Zavala worked a 3-2 count, but flew out to shallow left field, giving Oregon no chance to tag up.
The Lions brought in right hander Josh Robins to get them out of trouble, but on his first pitch he put one in the dirt that went by the catcher, and Spencer Steer scored from third base to give Oregon the 2-1 lead.
Loyola Marymount intentionally walked Adams later in the at-bat to load the bases again. Cameron Campbell pinch hit for the struggling Foxcroft, and hit a sacrifice fly to deep center field, Matthews tagged and Oregon went up 3-1.
Oregon scored on another passed ball. Goldfarb scored from third to give Oregon a 4-1 lead.
Oregon pitcher Robert Ahlstrom came in relief in the sixth inning and pitched two scoreless innings. Kafka finished with five innings pitched, allowing four hits, four walks, one run and seven strikeouts.
Oregon brought in Brett Walker, who on his first pitch, allowed a two-run home run to Esquerra, but Tellache came in relief shortly after.
“I feel like that’s just the life of a reliever, trying not getting too high or too low,” he said. “We played well. Just in that ninth inning just had to shut the door, so I did.”
In the bottom of the eight inning, Oregon had the bases loaded with one out, but Oregon’s 1-2-3 hitters, Sam Novitske, Johnny DeLuca and Steer, all struck out.
Tellache atoned for their sins.
“When you give them the momentum, then usually you’re set up for a a really tough ninth, and Nico said, ‘No, no, no, I’ll take care of this,’” Horton said.
