As soon as Oregon turned to its bullpen, everything fell apart.

When RJ Gordon exited, the Ducks led 4-1 with two runners on and nobody out in the eighth. A few pitches later, the game was tied and Oregon was staring down the barrel of a loss. 

Considering the Ducks’ (38-18, 19-11 Pac-12) finished Friday’s game 0-8 with runners in scoring position, it’s a minor miracle they advanced to the winner’s game in the Santa Barbara Regional of the NCAA Tournament.

But Bryce Boettcher saved his lone hit of the ballgame for the perfect time: a leadoff home run in the top of the 11th. His blast put the Ducks ahead in extras, and Oregon held on for the 5-4 win over San Diego (40-14, 20-4).

It wasn’t pretty, but in conference play, it doesn’t have to be. 

Needing a hot start in the tournament, the Ducks turned to their ace. Gordon was tasked with taking down the Toreros, who were fresh off winning the West Coast Conference Tournament. 

Gordon worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the first to keep the Toreros off the board. 

The Ducks presented San Diego starter Josh Randall with an identical situation in the second, but he too was able to keep Friday’s contest scoreless early on. Mason Neville got to second with one out in the third, but he too was stranded. 

Scattered baserunners and solid pitching was the theme until the top of the fifth when Carter Garate opened the frame with a leadoff homer. He sent his third blast of the season out to right field to put Oregon on the board and hand the Ducks a 1-0 advantage. Later in the frame, Jacob Walsh launched a foul ball and flipped his bat in excitement as the Oregon dugout exploded. However, a review upheld the foul-ball call, and the Ducks had to settle for the lone run in the fifth. 

The lead wouldn’t last long.

The Toreros strung together a two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth with a walk and a pair of hits. Ariel Armas singled in a run to tie the game and erase any Oregon momentum… or so the Toreros thought.

The Ducks regained the lead in the sixth with some small ball. After loading the bases with a single, walk and bunt, Maddox Molony lined into a fielder’s choice to drive in a run. A batter later, Garate bunted in his second RBI of the day to give the Ducks a 3-1 advantage. 

Garate again added to his impressive day in the top of the eighth. He doubled to left-center to bring in Drew Smith and extend the lead to 4-1. Garate served as Oregon’s best hitter on Friday, finishing 2-4 with three RBIs and a run. 

It was a lead that was also largely due to Gordon’s stellar day. Through seven innings, he had allowed just one run on five hits while only walking two. With his pitch count already over triple digits, he was sent back out for the bottom of the eighth. 

He immediately allowed a hit and a walk, forcing the Ducks to make a pitching change. They opted for Brock Moore. They’d likely like to rethink that call. The first batter Moore faced — Jakob Christian — launched a three-run homer to tie the game. 

The WCC player of the year stepped up exactly when San Diego needed him to, something Oregon’s best hitters couldn’t do. His 24th homer of the year immediately killed any momentum the Ducks had and put the Toreros in the driver’s seat. It also tacked two more runs onto Gordon’s outing — putting him a three earned on the day. 

Moore walked the next two batters and was pulled without recording an out. Gordon’s stellar day no longer mattered, nor did Garate’s offensive heroics. The Ducks were locked in a tie game against one of the best bullpens on the West Coast. Logan Mercado inherited the situation and worked the Ducks out of the inning without allowing any further damage. 

Mercado recorded two quick outs in the bottom of the ninth. But then a hit-by-pitch and a walk looked to set up another two-out rally for the Toreros. Christian stepped up again in a big moment, but flew out to center to end the threat. The Ducks went to extras for just the third time all season. 

Boettcher gave the Ducks life again in the 11th with a leadoff homer. His solo shot gave the Oregon bullpen another lead to protect. 

Mercado finished the job. 

His incredible 50-pitch performance spanned 4.0 innings over which he allowed just one hit, a walk and two hit batters. That hit, however, was a leadoff double in the 11th. Miraculously, he worked around it to slam the door on the Toreros and save the Ducks. He earned the win, his sixth of the season.

Aside from the rough Moore outing, Oregon’s pitching was incredible against a red-hot San Diego squad. Offensively, the Ducks were good enough. They need to get their bats going in timely citations, however, if they want to advance any further. Oregon’s offense is 2-22 with runners in scoring position during the postseason. 

The Ducks will face the winner of tonight’s game between Santa Barbara and Fresno State tomorrow at 7 p.m. With a win, Oregon will advance to the Santa Barbara Regional Championship.