Friday, February 21
Eugene, Ore.
4:00 PM
University of Oregon
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Nevada
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Oregon
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Photo by: @EricEvansPhoto
Home Opener A Walk-Off Win
02/21/20 | Baseball
Kenyon Yovan's single with the bases loaded in the ninth gave Oregon a 3-2 victory Friday night over Nevada.
EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon baseball team's 2020 home opener was one for the books Friday night, as the Ducks rallied from behind and walked it off, beating Nevada 3-2 on a bases-loaded single by Kenyon Yovan in the bottom of the ninth inning at PK Park.
The Ducks (1-4) got their first win under new head coach Mark Wasikowski by rallying back from a two-run deficit to tie Friday's game in the eighth on a two-run single by Aaron Zavala. Oregon had shown similar fighting spirit through its first four games without being rewarded, but it was a different story Friday when Yovan drove his third hit of the game past the third baseman to plate A.J. Miller with the winning run.
"The baseball gods, they don't give you any breaks," said Yovan, who was Oregon's starting pitcher in the 2019 season opener but didn't make another appearance last season due to injury. "They're gonna beat you down and beat you down and beat you down, until either you cave in or you punch right back. …
"We got the first one out of the way. That's all we needed, so be on the lookout now."
How It Happened: Oregon's pitching staff didn't allow an earned run in the game, but the Wolf Pack (0-4) plated two unearned runs in the fourth inning thanks to an error leading off the inning. The Ducks got two-out baserunners in each of the first three innings but had been unable to score, then squandered an opportunity in the sixth when Tanner Smith and Yovan walked to open the bottom of the inning but were left stranded.
Shutdown relief pitching by Andrew Mosiello and Kolby Somers kept the Ducks within two runs, and the offense finally broke through in the eighth. Smith led off with a single but was thrown out trying to reach second after the center fielder bobbled the ball, and still Oregon rallied. Yovan followed with another hit, and after Gabe Matthews walked, a fielder's choice put runners at the corners with two out.
Junior Evan Williams entered the game as a pinch runner at first, and he made arguably the play of the game by reading a ball in the dirt to reach second with Zavala at the plate. With two runners thus in scoring position, Zavala drove a ground ball between the first and second basemen, tying the game 2-2.
"Without (Williams) getting an aggressive dirt-ball read with two outs, the base hit's only worth one, and I don't know if we're sitting here celebrating," Wasikowski said. "We might not be."
Kolby Somers (1-0) pitched the ninth for the Ducks, allowing only a one-out single. That runner was cut down trying to advance to second on a ball in the dirt by freshman catcher Jack Scanlon, and Somers ended the inning with a strikeout to send the Ducks up to bat in the bottom of the ninth with a jolt of energy.
Miller reached with one out on a dropped third strike, and Sam Novitske lashed a double down the left-field line to put runners at second and third. Smith was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Yovan ended the game with his base hit.
"It's been almost two years, and I couldn't script it any better," said Yovan, who didn't get to play in a game at PK Park in 2019 due to his injury. "We've got a long weekend ahead, but we went 1-0 today, and we'll try to go 1-0 tomorrow."
At The Plate: Yovan was 3-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and the game-winning RBI, putting him at 12-for-20 on the young season. Freshman third baseman Josh Kasevich had his first two collegiate hits, including a leadoff single in the seventh before being stranded.
Novitske had just one hit in five at-bats — the double in the ninth — but it was nearly much more. After Scanlon was hit by a pitch in the fifth, Novitske came to the plate with two out and drove a fly ball that the Nevada left fielder snared while banging hard into the outfield wall.
"He absolutely blisters that ball, and that could have been worth two runs," Wasikowski said. "In a year's time, when the fences get brought in a tick, that would have been worth two runs. … And then he got rewarded at the end, smashed it down the line for a double. It was nice to see a team win, where a lot of guys contributed to being ready."
On The Mound: Kafka rebounded from a rough opening outing by throwing five three-hit innings Friday, with five strikeouts and no walks plus two unearned runs allowed. Mosiello entered in the sixth and faced the minimum over three innings, striking out four and erasing the only baserunner he allowed by picking off the runner at first.
Mosiello pitched a scoreless fifth inning Tuesday at Grand Canyon, and followed that up with a dominant performance Friday.
"For a freshman to come out and look like he has, he's just screaming at the staff right now, put me in as a starter in the rotation," Wasikowski said.
Up Next: The Ducks send Peyton Fuller (0-0, 4.50) to the mound in game two against Nevada on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Ducks (1-4) got their first win under new head coach Mark Wasikowski by rallying back from a two-run deficit to tie Friday's game in the eighth on a two-run single by Aaron Zavala. Oregon had shown similar fighting spirit through its first four games without being rewarded, but it was a different story Friday when Yovan drove his third hit of the game past the third baseman to plate A.J. Miller with the winning run.
"The baseball gods, they don't give you any breaks," said Yovan, who was Oregon's starting pitcher in the 2019 season opener but didn't make another appearance last season due to injury. "They're gonna beat you down and beat you down and beat you down, until either you cave in or you punch right back. …
"We got the first one out of the way. That's all we needed, so be on the lookout now."
How It Happened: Oregon's pitching staff didn't allow an earned run in the game, but the Wolf Pack (0-4) plated two unearned runs in the fourth inning thanks to an error leading off the inning. The Ducks got two-out baserunners in each of the first three innings but had been unable to score, then squandered an opportunity in the sixth when Tanner Smith and Yovan walked to open the bottom of the inning but were left stranded.
Shutdown relief pitching by Andrew Mosiello and Kolby Somers kept the Ducks within two runs, and the offense finally broke through in the eighth. Smith led off with a single but was thrown out trying to reach second after the center fielder bobbled the ball, and still Oregon rallied. Yovan followed with another hit, and after Gabe Matthews walked, a fielder's choice put runners at the corners with two out.
Junior Evan Williams entered the game as a pinch runner at first, and he made arguably the play of the game by reading a ball in the dirt to reach second with Zavala at the plate. With two runners thus in scoring position, Zavala drove a ground ball between the first and second basemen, tying the game 2-2.
"Without (Williams) getting an aggressive dirt-ball read with two outs, the base hit's only worth one, and I don't know if we're sitting here celebrating," Wasikowski said. "We might not be."
Kolby Somers (1-0) pitched the ninth for the Ducks, allowing only a one-out single. That runner was cut down trying to advance to second on a ball in the dirt by freshman catcher Jack Scanlon, and Somers ended the inning with a strikeout to send the Ducks up to bat in the bottom of the ninth with a jolt of energy.
Miller reached with one out on a dropped third strike, and Sam Novitske lashed a double down the left-field line to put runners at second and third. Smith was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Yovan ended the game with his base hit.
.@kenyonyovan21 comes through in the ninth! His missle down the left-field line gives the Ducks a 3-2 victory! #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/JkhhhH8y0X
— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) February 22, 2020
"It's been almost two years, and I couldn't script it any better," said Yovan, who didn't get to play in a game at PK Park in 2019 due to his injury. "We've got a long weekend ahead, but we went 1-0 today, and we'll try to go 1-0 tomorrow."
At The Plate: Yovan was 3-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and the game-winning RBI, putting him at 12-for-20 on the young season. Freshman third baseman Josh Kasevich had his first two collegiate hits, including a leadoff single in the seventh before being stranded.
Novitske had just one hit in five at-bats — the double in the ninth — but it was nearly much more. After Scanlon was hit by a pitch in the fifth, Novitske came to the plate with two out and drove a fly ball that the Nevada left fielder snared while banging hard into the outfield wall.
"He absolutely blisters that ball, and that could have been worth two runs," Wasikowski said. "In a year's time, when the fences get brought in a tick, that would have been worth two runs. … And then he got rewarded at the end, smashed it down the line for a double. It was nice to see a team win, where a lot of guys contributed to being ready."
On The Mound: Kafka rebounded from a rough opening outing by throwing five three-hit innings Friday, with five strikeouts and no walks plus two unearned runs allowed. Mosiello entered in the sixth and faced the minimum over three innings, striking out four and erasing the only baserunner he allowed by picking off the runner at first.
Mosiello pitched a scoreless fifth inning Tuesday at Grand Canyon, and followed that up with a dominant performance Friday.
"For a freshman to come out and look like he has, he's just screaming at the staff right now, put me in as a starter in the rotation," Wasikowski said.
Up Next: The Ducks send Peyton Fuller (0-0, 4.50) to the mound in game two against Nevada on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Somers, Kolby (1-0)
L: ABEYTA, Blane (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: TILLEY, Wyatt 1 ; HORMEL, Brady 1
SH: BOSETTI, Tyler 1
SF: HORMEL, Brady 1
Base Running:
RUNS: ZAMORA, Joshua 1 ; SHRUM, Dillan 1
SB: FENTRESS, Kiambu 1
HBP: FENTRESS, Kiambu 1 ; FLORES, Anthony 1
PO: McLAUGHLIN, Jaylon 1
Batting:
2B: Novitske, Sam 1
RBI: Yovan, Kenyon 1 ; Zavala, Aaron 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Yovan, Kenyon 1 ; Williams, Evan 1 ; Miller, A.J. 1
SB: Williams, Evan 1
HBP: Smith, Tanner 1 ; Scanlon, Jack 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
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3
RBI
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3b/ss
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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