After a failed comeback Friday night, the Ducks played the second game of their series in Tucson on Saturday looking for redemption.
Kenyon Yovan, who struck out four times Friday, got things going early as he blasted a home run off the first pitch of the first inning.
The reigning Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week Cullen Kafka took the mound for the Ducks, going into Saturday with a 0.43 ERA and 32 strikeouts through 21 innings. He allowed a first-inning triple, but recorded two strikeouts to avoid any damage.
Robby Ashford continued to heat up with a single in the second, and Jack Scanlon followed with another single as the speedy Ashford advanced to third. However, Ashford got picked off in a rundown and Tanner Smith grounded out to strand the two runners.
With two runners on and two outs in the second, Kafka allowed a single that allowed the Wildcats to tie the score, 1-1. It was all downhill from there.
The Ducks stranded two more in the third, as Yovan walked and Aaron Zavala singled.
Arizona rallied against Kafka in the bottom of the third to load the bases. A triple cleared the bases and a fourth run scored on a throwing error by Josh Kasevich, and all of a sudden the Wildcats had a 5-1 lead.
Two batters later, Gavin Grant made a fielding error, and another triple led to a sixth Arizona run. The Ducks have played fantastic defense this year, but it fell apart in an ugly third inning.
The fourth inning was quiet for both sides, but came with one statistical oddity: All three Wildcats grounded out to Kasevich.
Arizona poured on another one in the sixth, as a two-out single extended their lead to 7-1 and knocked Kafka out of the game. Isaac Ayon allowed two inherited runners to come in on a two-out single, then allowed two runs of his own as the Wildcats took an 11-1 lead into the seventh inning.
After two runners reached against Ayon in the seventh, Decker Stedman replaced him, allowing a walk and an infield single that put Arizona up 12-1.
The Ducks got one back in the eighth, as Kasevich hit an RBI double down the right field line to score Gabe Matthews. Anthony Hall reached on a strikeout to keep the inning alive, but Ashford grounded out to first base.
Stedman came back out for the bottom of the eighth and was taken out with the bases loaded and two outs. RJ Gordon replaced him and allowed two hits that brought in three inherited runners to make it 15-2 Arizona.
Yovan added a single in the ninth, his second hit of the game and third time on base. Nothing came of it though, as the Ducks fell for the second straight time against Arizona, 15-2.
Oregon has now experienced its first series loss of the season and will look to avoid the sweep at noon on Sunday. The Ducks will then come back to Eugene for a four-game series against New Mexico State starting Thursday.
