For a day, at least, Oregon’s baseball team flipped the script on its disappointing season. @@hhttp://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=94831&SPID=11401&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205151475@@
BY THE NUMBERS
3 – Number of consecutive games Oregon starter-turned-reliever Madison Boer pitched. In total, Boer allowed only one earned run over 5.2 innings.
10 – Oregon had at least ten hits in all three games of the series. They’ve now had at least ten hits in their last five games.
Instead of blowing a lead, the Ducks overcame an early deficit. Instead of crumbling down the stretch, Oregon made a key defensive play to maintain a narrow lead. Instead of running out of gas, Oregon’s bullpen was strong.
And, instead of losing a game they should have won, the Ducks (26-24-1, 7-14 Pacific-10) won a game they could have easily lost, defeating visiting Stanford 6-5 Sunday afternoon at PK Park.
Oregon came back from an early 3-1 deficit to secure their second Pac-10 series win of the year.
“Usually we’re not really good at responding all that well but today we got back up, we punched right back,” said Oregon starter Christian Jones, who pitched well over 6 1/3 innings.
Indeed, Oregon seemed to have an answer for every attack the Cardinal (28-18, 10-11 Pac-10) mounted.
The teams traded runs through the middle innings, and were tied at five heading into the bottom of the seventh.
There, with two outs and a runner on third, Stanford intentionally walked the red-hot Danny Pulfer. However, freshman Brett Thomas made Stanford pay for their decision with an RBI single to center to put the Ducks ahead 6-5.
In the top of the eighth, Stanford put runners on first and second with two out, and Zach Jones hit a single to right field that looked like it might be enough to get the tying run home. However, Duck right fielder Aaron Jones came up firing, and his throw was in time to get the out at home plate and save Oregon’s lead.
“(It was a) good throw by Aaron and a very tough tag by Brett Hambright,” Horton said.
After Oregon stranded a runner at third base in the bottom of the frame, newly minted Duck closer Madison Boer shut Stanford’s bats down in the top of the ninth to pick up the save.
Saturday
Oregon blew an early seven-run lead and fell 9-8 to Stanford Saturday afternoon.
The Ducks scored in each of the game’s first five innings to gain a seemingly secure 8-1 advantage, but Stanford scored three runs in the sixth inning and four in the seventh to tie the game, and one in the eighth to take the lead for good.
Duck starter Alex Keudell allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings and was in line for the win, but relievers Kellen Moen and Boer couldn’t hold Oregon’s lead.
Meanwhile, Cardinal relievers A.J. Talt and Chris Reed combined to toss five scoreless frames to help Stanford to an improbable victory.
In the process, Reed picked up his fourth win of the year while Boer was tagged with his fifth loss, his first his since transitioning to the bullpen.
Pulfer continued his recent stretch of hot hitting, going 3-4 from the plate with his second home run of the year for Oregon, while Jones and Brian Ragira led the Cardinal with three hits apiece.
Friday
Oregon capitalized on number of Stanford miscues and defeated the Cardinal 6-2 Friday night.
The Ducks scored twice in the first inning to take an early lead and never let up, taking advantage of four Cardinal errors to fuel its offense. With strong run support at his back, Oregon ace Tyler Anderson picked up his seventh win of the season. Anderson tossed seven innings of one-run ball (the run wasn’t earned), striking out seven and allowing only four hits.
Boer came on in relief of Anderson and pitched the game’s final two innings, allowing one run.
Stanford starter Mark Appel was tagged with his sixth defeat of the year after surrendering six runs (four earned) in 6 2/3 innings.
After a day off tomorrow, the Ducks will return to play at 6 p.m. on Tuesday when they host Gonzaga.
