Bases loaded. Two outs. 3-0 count, 4-4 tie in the eighth. All-American closer Kolby Somers on the mound. It was the kind of moment kids dream about in their backyards growing up.
San Diego prevailed.
The Oregon baseball team played a much closer fight against the Toreros on the road Sunday, but the Ducks still couldn’t cash in as they fell to 0-3 on the young season with a 5-4 loss. Isaac Ayon dealt with control issues in his first start of the season, while the team’s shaky defense continued to haunt them. Oregon fought back late, but Somers walked in the eventual winning run for San Diego in the eighth.
Jacob Walsh singled in the first inning, bouncing back from Saturday’s 0-for-4, four strikeout performance. Brennan Milone and Anthony Hall followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases. Josh Kasevich just missed a grand slam, hitting a deep sacrifice fly to center field that gave the Ducks their first lead of the season, 1-0.
Walsh got another hit in the third, giving him two multi-hit performances through his first three collegiate games. Sophomore transfer Brennan Milone hit a double to put two runners in scoring position. The Ducks nearly added to their lead on a fly ball from Hall, but Walsh was thrown out at the plate on a questionable call.
Ayon got the starting nod on the mound. After spending his freshman year as a reliever, he looks to slide into a more prominent starting role this season.
He dealt with some wildness around the zone but got off to a strong start. A double play erased a first inning walk, and he set the Toreros down in order in the second.
Ayon retired the first two batters in the third, but then disaster struck. A single and two walks loaded the bases. Another single scored two runs, giving San Diego a 2-1 lead.
The fourth inning was equally disastrous for the Ducks. After walking the first batter, Ayon made a wild pickoff throw that got by Walsh and moved the runner to third. Two singles brought in two more runs, giving the Toreros a 4-1 lead.
After yet another single, Hall made a nice relay throw to cut down a potential run at home. The other two outs in the inning were recorded on runners caught stealing. It was a wildly up-and-down defensive inning for a team that’s been a complete mess in the field so far.
Gavin Grant provided the Ducks with some much needed power in the fifth. He smacked a solo home run for Oregon’s first long ball of the season.
Milone followed suit in the sixth, hitting a solo shot to cut the deficit to one.
Ayon’s afternoon ended after five innings. He gave up four runs on six hits and four walks while striking out two. He was replaced by RJ Gordon, who narrowly missed making the starting rotation and may very well find himself there later this season.
Gordon had equal trouble as Ayon throwing strikes. The first six pitches he threw were balls. After two walks, he worked out of trouble by inducing a huge double play that kept the score 4-3.
Christian Ciuffetelli was lights out in the seventh, striking out two. The inning ended on a great play by Kasevich.
Milone singled in the eighth for his fourth hit of the game. He’s been a low average, high OBP guy in his college career, but so far for Oregon, all he’s done is hit.
After Kasevich was hit by a pitch, junior transfer Drew Cowley pinch hit for Bryce Boettcher. Cowley blooped one into left field for his first hit as a Duck, scoring pinch runner Tyler Ganus to tie the game.
Kasevich tried to score to give Oregon the lead, but he was thrown out by a mile.
The Ducks turned to the All-American closer Somers with one on and nobody out in the eighth. He battled through some tough plate appearances, striking out the first batter he faced but walking a pair to load the bases with two outs.
Somers fell behind 3-0 with no place to put the hitter. He was able to work the count full, but he ultimately walked home the go-ahead run for San Diego.
Oregon went down quietly in the ninth, aside from Josiah Cromwick getting hit by a pitch. It came down to Tanner Smith, who hit a hard fly out to end the game.
The Ducks put up a fight, but they couldn’t overcome their mistakes throughout the game. Now 0-3, they’ll look to salvage the final game of the series Monday at noon. They’ll turn to freshman right-handed pitcher Tommy Brandenburg in his collegiate debut.
