Ducks get no-hit in series finale

Sunday, April 8

Eugene, Ore.

12:00 PM

University of Oregon

18-12, 5-7

Washington State

9-17, 3-9

Washington State

Oregon

Photo by: Ben Crawford

04/08/18 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score: Washington State 7, Oregon 0

Despite the loss, Oregon still claimed the series against WSU

EUGENE, Ore. – Washington State's Scotty Sunitsch tossed a no-hitter against Oregon in a 7-0 Cougar win in Pac-12 Conference action on Sunday at PK Park.

Despite the loss, Oregon (18-12, 5-7 Pac-12) still won the series against the Cougars after sweeping a doubleheader on Friday night.

How it happened: Sunitsch faced the minimum through five innings. He retired the first two batters he faced before Spencer Steer reached on a walk. Steer was then retired trying to advance to second on a throw in the dirt.

Sunitsch (3-1) then retired the next 13 Duck batters in a row before Ryne Nelson reached when he was hit by a pitch. The WSU lefty responded by getting the next two hitters.

Oregon's best opportunity came in the seventh when Daniel Patzlaff led off with a walk and Steer was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second with no outs. Sunitsch got out of the jam getting a pop out, a fly out and a strikeout. He went on to retire the next six hitters in order to wrap up the no-hitter.

Washington State (9-17, 3-9 Pac-12) got all of the offense it would need in the fifth inning off Oregon starter Kolby Somers (1-4). Blake Clanton started the rally with a two-out single and moved to second on a Mason De La Cruz bunt single. Andres Alvarez drove in Clanton with a single to centerfield, before Dillon Plew tripled to score De La Cruz and Alvarez. The Cougs added four runs in the top of the seventh.

Quotable: Head coach George Horton
On the loss…
"We only had about five or six, what I thought, quality at bats. [Sunitsch] kept us at bay, off balance. I'm not saying that we should have scored seven runs, necessarily, but I didn't think that we were very competitive from the start. I thought our outs were easy and not as competitive as I would like. The one thing that I would have liked to see our guys do is maybe foul off some pitches with two strikes, like they did, run the pitch count up, maybe get a pitch they can hit."

Notes: The no-hitter was the first against Oregon in the modern era of Ducks baseball … Steer reached base twice for the Ducks … Steer led the Ducks in the series batting .500 (3-for-6) and on-base percentage (2 walks, 2 HBP), before leaving Sunday's game after being hit in the knee by a pitch … Somers allowed three runs on six hits in 5.1 innings with four strikeouts and three walks … Peyton Fuller pitched 2.1 scoreless innings of relief, striking out two.

On deck: Oregon will host Portland at PK Park on Monday night at 6 p.m. The game as originally scheduled for Tuesday, but was moved to Monday because of rain forecasted for Tuesday.