A disappointing season for Oregon’s baseball team met its unofficial end in Eastern Washington over the weekend.
The Ducks (29-26-1, 8-16 Pacific-10) dropped two of three contests at Washington State, making what looked like a strong possibility a near certainty. Barring something totally unforeseen, Oregon will not qualify for college baseball’s postseason for the second time in three years.

Sunday
Oregon blew a ninth-inning lead and fell to Washington State 8-7 Sunday afternoon. The Ducks scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning to claim a 7-6 lead, but the Cougars scored two in the bottom of the ninth to take the game and the series. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=94835&SPID=11401&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205153871@@
Pitching for the third time in eight days, Oregon starter Alex Keudell was roughed up for six runs (five earned) in 3 2/3 innings. Washington State starter Bret DeRooy wasn’t much better, however, lasting only two innings, and both teams’ respective bullpens took over. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=94835&SPID=11401&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205153871@@
The Ducks gained a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Ryon Healy’s team-leading fourth home run, but Washington State scored two in the bottom of the inning, and the tone was set for a dramatic, back-and-forth contest.
After the teams traded runs throughout the middle innings, the Cougars carried a 6-5 advantage into the top of the eighth. However, with Cougar reliever Paris Shewey on the mound, the Ducks scored twice on a two-RBI double by Danny Pulfer to take a 7-6 lead.
But after tossing a scoreless inning in the bottom of the eighth, the normally reliable Madison Boer stumbled in the the ninth, allowing a pair of two-out, run-scoring hits, as the Cougars claimed a walk-off victory. @@http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/416707.htm?ATCLID=205153871&SPSID=94835&SPID=11401&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
Boer was charged with his sixth loss of the year, while Anthony Drobnick picked up the win for Washington State.
Saturday
Oregon won its first game in Pullman since the Ducks’ baseball program was reinstated, 6-3 over the Cougars. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=94835&SPID=11401&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205153792@@
Oregon scored twice in the seventh inning to break a 3-3 tie and received strong relief work by Madison Boer to hold on.
Christian Jones picked up his sixth victory of the year after pitching eight innings of three-run ball, while reliever Kellen Campus suffered his first defeat of the season for the Cougars.
The game was scoreless through the first three innings, until Washington State scored a run in the fourth on an RBI groundout. @@http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/416661.htm?ATCLID=205153792&SPSID=94835&SPID=11401&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
Oregon answered back with two runs in the top of the fifth, on RBI singles by J.J. Altobelli and Danny Pulfer, but Washington State regained a 3-2 lead with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame.
However, the Ducks scored the game’s final four runs, one in the sixth, two in the seventh, and one more in the ninth to ice the game away.
Friday
The Ducks touched up Washington State ace Adam Conley for five runs in the game’s first two innings, but the Cougars came back to top Oregon 12-6. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=94835&SPID=11401&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205153644@@
Despite being staked to an early 5-0 lead, Oregon ace Tyler Anderson had perhaps his worst outing of the year, surrendering eight earned runs in 4.2 innings. He was charged with his third loss of the season, while Conley rebounded to pick up his sixth win. @@http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/416642.htm?ATCLID=205153644&SPSID=94835&SPID=11401&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
Conley struggled to find his rhythm in the early innings, allowing a run in the first on an RBI single by Aaron Jones and four in the second on an RBI single by Brett Hambright, a two-RBI single by Jones, and an RBI groundout by Stefan Sabol.
But the Cougars’ offense picked up the slack, scoring three times in the third and five in the fifth to take an 8-6 lead.
In their decisive five-run fifth inning, Washington State only had three hits, but Anderson’s wildness (three walks, one hit batter) proved costly.
Kellen Moen entered in relief of Anderson and pitched well until the eighth inning, when Washington State would score four times to put the game out of reach.
The Ducks will return to action tomorrow at 3 p.m. when they visit the University of Portland. @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=11401&SPSID=94835@@