The Ducks dropped another series in the Pacific-10 Conference, this time 2-1 to the Stanford Cardinal. In the deciding game Sunday, Oregon lost 6-3 after getting within one run in the seventh inning. The loss dropped the team’s record to 12-17, and 2-4 in conference play.
“They put themselves in a position to win,” head coach George Horton said. “We just came up short. Three runs seem like 10 right now. We’re all trying too hard.”
“That first win gave us confidence,” KC Serna said. “We knew we could beat them. But we knew there were still two more games to take the series … we went away from our game plan. Discipline and patience are key for us.”
In game one, Oregon won 2-1 behind the pitching of freshman Tyler Anderson (2-3). He out-dueled Stanford starter Jeff Inman, going 7.2 innings, giving up one run on six hits while striking out nine Cardinal batters. Drew Gagnier pitched 1.1 innings for the save.
Inman went 7.1 innings and gave up two runs on seven hits in the loss.
The Ducks scored in the second and fifth innings to take a 2-0 lead, before Anderson gave up his only run on a solo home run to Brent Milleville. Third baseman Danny Pulfer led the Ducks, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Game two was a different story. The Ducks left four on base, and the Cardinal (11-12 overall, 5-4 Pac-10) scored in the first inning to put the pressure on the Ducks in the 3-1 game. Erik Stavert (3-2) took the loss, going 7.1 innings, giving up four hits and three runs.
Jordan Pries (3-0) went 7.2 innings in the Stanford win, allowing five hits and one run and seven strikeouts.
Catcher Mitch Karraker was 1-for-3 with a run scored for the Ducks.
In the rubber match, Oregon’s late innings comeback came up short when the Cardinal scored two runs in the top of the ninth to extend their one-run lead to 6-3.
Oregon came back from a 4-1 deficit, getting a home run from Serna and a RBI double from pinch hitter Mitch Karraker to cut the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh.
But Oregon couldn’t get Pulfer home from third in the eighth inning, and the Cardinal scored two off of closer Drew Gagnier in the top of the ninth for the comfortable three-run lead.
Madison Boer (1-4) started on the mound for Oregon and received the loss. He went four innings, giving up three runs on three hits, and walking one batter. Left-hander Bennett Whitmore came into the ball game in relief, and he went two innings giving up another run on two hits and a walk.
Gagnier went one inning, giving up two runs on one hit and three walks. Brett Mooneyham got the win for Stanford, going 6.2 innings and giving up three runs on five hits while striking out seven. Serna went 2-for-3 for Oregon, with a double and a home run, and scored two runs.
“We can build off this,” Karraker said after Sunday’s loss. “They weren’t horrible losses like OSU. We can get everything clicking going into USC. As long as we believe, we will be in games.”
Next up for Oregon is a three-game series against USC in Los Angeles starting on Thursday.
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