University of Oregon
6-1
Illinois State
2-5
Another Pitching Gem Gets Baseball Back On Track
02/29/16 | Baseball, @GoDucksMoseley
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Photo: Eric Larriva
EUGENE, Ore. — David Peterson gave the 12th-ranked UO baseball team its third straight two-hit start Sunday, and Jakob Goldfarb provided highlights offensively and defensively as the Ducks rebounded from their first loss of the season by beating Illinois State, 3-1 before 1,216 in PK Park.
How It Happened: Peterson (1-0) allowed the leadoff batter to score but settled down to throw eight innings of two-hit baseball, with two walks and nine strikeouts. The Redbirds last threatened in the fourth, which ended when Goldfarb caught a flyball in right field and then threw out a runner at the plate to end the inning; Peterson retired the side in order over his final four innings.
The Ducks (6-1) tied the score 1-1 on back-to-back doubles by Phil Craig-St. Louis and Steven Packard to lead off the bottom of the second. In the sixth, Goldfarb lashed a one-out single to right field that scored Austin Grebeck, one day after UO bats were all but silenced by Illinois State's Steve Heilenbach.
“I liked our approach a lot better today,” UO coach George Horton said. “Even though we didn't get an inordinate amount of hits, they stayed behind the ball, they were more consistent, they had better at-bats. That's a good sign.”
Oregon added an insurance run in the eighth, when Grebeck scored on a sacrifice fly by Packard. Stephen Nogosek struck out two in the ninth for his third save.
“It's good to get back on track,” Goldfarb said. “We wanted to get the series today. We didn't want to split it, and we came in and took care of business.”
Pitching Success Continues: Peterson followed in the footsteps of rotation mates Cole Irvin and Matt Krook by allowing only two hits in his first home start of the season.
The sophomore left-hander bobbled a one-out bunt in the first, extending the inning and setting the stage for an unearned run to score on a wild pitch with two outs. He pitched around an errant pickoff throw in the third and benefitted from Goldfarb's defensive gem in the fourth, then settled into a rhythm that Horton said was “maybe as sharp as I've ever seen him.”
Peterson said he was motivated to continue the string of solid starts, which began in the series opener Thursday when Isaiah Carranza went six innings.
“I do feed off them,” Peterson said. “You see Cole on Friday, he was absolutely stellar, and even Carranza on Thursday did really well. Then Krook was sharp yesterday, and that leaves it to me to close it out.”
Two-way Contributions from Goldfarb: Along with his double play and the game-winning RBI, Goldfarb added a sacrifice bunt in the eighth that moved Grebeck over to third base. Grebeck scored an insurance run two batters later on Packard's flyball to left field.
The Redbirds (2-5) led off the fourth inning with a double and a walk, both runners then moving up on a sacrifice bunt. The next batter lifted a flyball to shallow right, which Goldfarb collected before firing a throw to catcher Tim Susnara for the double play.
“I went to back up, but I could have walked right off the field,” Peterson said. “That kid, he's got an unbelievable arm, just insane. And then Tim is awesome on the back end, getting the ball, receiving it and then holding that ball down. I knew exactly what was going to happen when that ball went in the air. Really glad to have those guys behind me.”
Notable: After scoring in the second, the Ducks had 12 straight retired despite some sharply hit balls, prompting a dugout pep talk from Horton. “I just said, hey, this game will test you,” he said afterward. “You've just got to continue to have fun, and get the frustration out, because if you start squeezing the bat harder or trying harder, it's not a good solution.” That was in the middle of the sixth, and Oregon went up 2-1 in the bottom of the inning … Horton said he would have liked to have played more guys in the series, but some close games prevented it. He did use first baseman Kyle Kasser and left fielder Nick Catalano as late-inning defensive replacements in all three victories over the Redbirds. … For the weekend, Irvin, Krook and Peterson combined to allow three earned runs on six hits with 29 strikeouts over 22 innings.
On Deck: The Ducks remain at home for their next series, against UC Santa Barbara beginning at PK Park on Friday at 6 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Peterson, David (1-0)
L: Meade (0-1)
S: Nogosek, Stephen (3)
Batting:
2B: Ramirez 1
SH: Beesley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dwyer 1
Batting:
2B: Craig-St. Louis, Phil 1 ; Packard, Steven 1 ; Susnara, Tim 1
RBI: Goldfarb, Jakob 1 ; Packard, Steven 2
SH: Goldfarb, Jakob 1
SF: Packard, Steven 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Grebeck, Austin 2 ; Craig-St. Louis, Phil 1
HBP: Grebeck, Austin 1
