Saturday, June 10
Eugene, Ore.
6:00 PM
University of Oregon
41-21
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at
8
Oral Roberts
50-12
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9
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Oregon
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11
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Oral Roberts
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8
12
0
Photo by: @EricEvansPhoto
Super Regional Comes Down To Sunday
06/10/23 | Baseball
After Oregon's walk-off win Friday, Oral Roberts turned the tables Saturday to set up Sunday's finale at 3 p.m.
EUGENE, Ore. — Through two games, PK Park has hosted college baseball's walk-off Super Regional. It'll take a third game to decide the series.
Oral Roberts rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth Saturday to bounce back from Oregon's walk-off win Friday with an 8-7 victory to even their Super Regional at a game each. The Ducks (41-21) and Golden Eagles will play for a spot in the College World Series on Sunday at 3 p.m.
"Like some of our coaches said (postgame), if we could go back to Sept. 10 or 11 — our first day (of practice in the fall) — and if you had one game to play for it all to go to Omaha, would you take it?" UO senior outfielder Tanner Smith said. "I think that hit the team square in the eyes, and I think we're gonna come out together as a group tomorrow and play our hearts out."
The Ducks saw their nine-game winning streak end Saturday, in heartbreaking fashion. After a two-run triple from Drew Smith gave Oregon a 7-4 lead at the seventh-inning stretch — the Ducks were designated the visiting team for the game — Oral Roberts scored in each of the last three innings.
That denied Oregon its first College World Series appearance since 1954, for at least one more day.
"I'm really proud of the team that I coach and can't wait to suit up with them tomorrow," UO coach Mark Wasikowski said. "I know they're hungry for it as well. And you know, they're going to do everything that they possibly can to be able to get this team to Omaha."
How It Happened: For the second game in a row Jacob Walsh got Oregon started offensively Saturday, with a solo homer in the top of the second. But also for the second game in a row, Oral Roberts had the lead through three innings, in this case 3-1 after loading the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the second against UO starter Turner Spoljaric, and bringing all three runners home.
Before the top of the fourth, Wasikowski gave the Ducks a pep talk. He reminded them of the mentality that had brought them within one win of Omaha, playing every game of the last two weeks like it was a single-elimination, do-or-die contest.
"I told the team that I felt like we needed to get back to the white T-shirt, blue-collar mentality that had gotten us this far," Wasikowski said. "And they responded."
They did indeed — after Friday night hero Drew Cowley was walked to lead off the fourth, Sabin Ceballos worked the count full and then lined a home run to left-center, tying the game. Oral Roberts went back up 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth, but the Ducks retook the lead in the fifth with an RBI single from Cowley to score Rikuu Nishida, followed by a double from Ceballos to plate Cowley.
After two scoreless innings of relief from Austin Anderson preserved the 5-4 lead, Oregon got some cushion in the seventh. With two outs, Ceballos walked, Tanner Smith doubled to put two runners in scoring position, and Drew Smith powered a ball to the gap in right-center. It was initially gloved by ORU outfielder Jonah Cox but then dropped as the momentum of the play took Cox into the wall.
Matt Dallas came on to preserve the 7-4 lead in the bottom of the seventh. A two-out RBI double made it 7-5, and a solo homer by Cox to extend his hitting streak to 46 games in the eighth made it a one-run game.
The Ducks tried to add more insurance in the ninth, when Ceballos again walked with two out and Tanner Smith singled. But Drew Smith grounded out, and Oregon turned to closer Josh Mollerus needing three outs to clinch the Super Regional.
After the first hitter was retired, the next batter singled. Looking for a ground ball to end the game with a double play, the Ducks got it — but it was a laser hit right at second baseman Gavin Grant, who did all he could to glove it but only deflected it into the outfield for another single.
"It was hard hit, so my first instinct was just, stay in front of it," Grant said. "I'll wear that one, but we'll go get 'em tomorrow."
A walk then loaded the bases with one out, and a hit down the left-field line brought home two runners to end the game. Wasikowski, Grant and Tanner Smith faced the media to talk about the game afterward, and their disappointment was clear. But so too, Wasikowski said, was the team's resolve to bounce back Sunday.
"If they could," the UO coach said, "they'd play right now."
Notable: Oregon had been 9-2 this season in one-run games entering Saturday, including 5-0 during the nine-game win streak. … The home run by Ceballos was his 17th of the year, tying the UO single-season record set by Kenyon Yovan in 2021. … Nishida extended his UO single-season record for runs scored to 67, and Cowley extended his UO single-season record for RBIs to 70. … Cowley's 84 hits are one shy of the UO record set in 2022 by Tanner Smith. … Saturday's crowd was another sellout, of 4,476.
Quotable:
Senior outfielder Tanner Smith on the competitiveness of the series
"It's postseason baseball — it's kind of what we expect. No matter who we're playing, the talent and the game, it's gonna be pretty evenly matched. And sometimes that's just the way baseball goes. We'll get 'em tomorrow."
Head coach Mark Wasikowski on Grant's accountability postgame
"That's because Gavin has tremendous makeup and he is probably the greatest team leader that I've been around in a long time — maybe forever. I don't know what the exit velocity of the ball was. But we're talking a ball that was hit up the middle at probably over 100 miles an hour off the bat … I challenge anybody in the world to get in front of a line drive at over 100 miles an hour and see how that feels when it hits you; it doesn't feel real good. Gavin's makeup to even come out for a press conference afterwards, that's how special that kid is."
On Deck: The series finale is scheduled for Sunday (3 p.m., ESPNU).
Oral Roberts rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth Saturday to bounce back from Oregon's walk-off win Friday with an 8-7 victory to even their Super Regional at a game each. The Ducks (41-21) and Golden Eagles will play for a spot in the College World Series on Sunday at 3 p.m.
"Like some of our coaches said (postgame), if we could go back to Sept. 10 or 11 — our first day (of practice in the fall) — and if you had one game to play for it all to go to Omaha, would you take it?" UO senior outfielder Tanner Smith said. "I think that hit the team square in the eyes, and I think we're gonna come out together as a group tomorrow and play our hearts out."
The Ducks saw their nine-game winning streak end Saturday, in heartbreaking fashion. After a two-run triple from Drew Smith gave Oregon a 7-4 lead at the seventh-inning stretch — the Ducks were designated the visiting team for the game — Oral Roberts scored in each of the last three innings.
That denied Oregon its first College World Series appearance since 1954, for at least one more day.
"I'm really proud of the team that I coach and can't wait to suit up with them tomorrow," UO coach Mark Wasikowski said. "I know they're hungry for it as well. And you know, they're going to do everything that they possibly can to be able to get this team to Omaha."
How It Happened: For the second game in a row Jacob Walsh got Oregon started offensively Saturday, with a solo homer in the top of the second. But also for the second game in a row, Oral Roberts had the lead through three innings, in this case 3-1 after loading the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the second against UO starter Turner Spoljaric, and bringing all three runners home.
Before the top of the fourth, Wasikowski gave the Ducks a pep talk. He reminded them of the mentality that had brought them within one win of Omaha, playing every game of the last two weeks like it was a single-elimination, do-or-die contest.
"I told the team that I felt like we needed to get back to the white T-shirt, blue-collar mentality that had gotten us this far," Wasikowski said. "And they responded."
They did indeed — after Friday night hero Drew Cowley was walked to lead off the fourth, Sabin Ceballos worked the count full and then lined a home run to left-center, tying the game. Oral Roberts went back up 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth, but the Ducks retook the lead in the fifth with an RBI single from Cowley to score Rikuu Nishida, followed by a double from Ceballos to plate Cowley.
After two scoreless innings of relief from Austin Anderson preserved the 5-4 lead, Oregon got some cushion in the seventh. With two outs, Ceballos walked, Tanner Smith doubled to put two runners in scoring position, and Drew Smith powered a ball to the gap in right-center. It was initially gloved by ORU outfielder Jonah Cox but then dropped as the momentum of the play took Cox into the wall.
Matt Dallas came on to preserve the 7-4 lead in the bottom of the seventh. A two-out RBI double made it 7-5, and a solo homer by Cox to extend his hitting streak to 46 games in the eighth made it a one-run game.
The Ducks tried to add more insurance in the ninth, when Ceballos again walked with two out and Tanner Smith singled. But Drew Smith grounded out, and Oregon turned to closer Josh Mollerus needing three outs to clinch the Super Regional.
After the first hitter was retired, the next batter singled. Looking for a ground ball to end the game with a double play, the Ducks got it — but it was a laser hit right at second baseman Gavin Grant, who did all he could to glove it but only deflected it into the outfield for another single.
"It was hard hit, so my first instinct was just, stay in front of it," Grant said. "I'll wear that one, but we'll go get 'em tomorrow."
A walk then loaded the bases with one out, and a hit down the left-field line brought home two runners to end the game. Wasikowski, Grant and Tanner Smith faced the media to talk about the game afterward, and their disappointment was clear. But so too, Wasikowski said, was the team's resolve to bounce back Sunday.
"If they could," the UO coach said, "they'd play right now."
Notable: Oregon had been 9-2 this season in one-run games entering Saturday, including 5-0 during the nine-game win streak. … The home run by Ceballos was his 17th of the year, tying the UO single-season record set by Kenyon Yovan in 2021. … Nishida extended his UO single-season record for runs scored to 67, and Cowley extended his UO single-season record for RBIs to 70. … Cowley's 84 hits are one shy of the UO record set in 2022 by Tanner Smith. … Saturday's crowd was another sellout, of 4,476.
Quotable:
Senior outfielder Tanner Smith on the competitiveness of the series
"It's postseason baseball — it's kind of what we expect. No matter who we're playing, the talent and the game, it's gonna be pretty evenly matched. And sometimes that's just the way baseball goes. We'll get 'em tomorrow."
Head coach Mark Wasikowski on Grant's accountability postgame
"That's because Gavin has tremendous makeup and he is probably the greatest team leader that I've been around in a long time — maybe forever. I don't know what the exit velocity of the ball was. But we're talking a ball that was hit up the middle at probably over 100 miles an hour off the bat … I challenge anybody in the world to get in front of a line drive at over 100 miles an hour and see how that feels when it hits you; it doesn't feel real good. Gavin's makeup to even come out for a press conference afterwards, that's how special that kid is."
On Deck: The series finale is scheduled for Sunday (3 p.m., ESPNU).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cade Denton (2-1)
L: Mollerus, Josh (3-3)
Batting:
2B: Ceballos, Sabin 1 ; Smith, Tanner 1
3B: Smith, Drew 1
HR: Ceballos, Sabin 1 ; Walsh, Jacob 1
RBI: Cowley, Drew 1 ; Ceballos, Sabin 3 ; Smith, Drew 2 ; Walsh, Jacob 1
SH: Boettcher, Bryce 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nishida, Rikuu 1 ; Cowley, Drew 2 ; Ceballos, Sabin 2 ; Smith, Tanner 1 ; Walsh, Jacob 1
SB: Boettcher, Bryce 1
HBP: Cowley, Drew 1
Batting:
2B: Jake McMurray 1
HR: Jonah Cox 1
RBI: Jake McMurray 1 ; Justin Quinn 2 ; Jonah Cox 1 ; Drew Stahl 2 ; Blaze Brothers 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jonah Cox 1 ; Matt Hogan 1 ; Mac McCroskey 2 ; Holden Breeze 1 ; Drew Stahl 1 ; Jacob Godman 1 ; Blaze Brothers 1
SB: Blaze Brothers 1
HBP: Drew Stahl 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
cf/lf
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ BaseballINF/C
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
1B
/ Baseball
RHP/INF
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