Ducks Drop Game Two to UCSB

Saturday, March 2

Eugene, Ore.

2:05 PM

University of Oregon

6-3

UC Santa Barbara

5-4

UC Santa Barbara

Oregon

Photo by: Deborah Mundorff

03/02/24 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score: UC Santa Barbara 7, Oregon 3 Photo Gallery

EUGENE, Ore. — A five-run fourth inning was too much to overcome for Oregon in a 7-3 loss to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at PK Park.

How It Happened: Oregon (6-3) jumped out to an early lead when Bryce Boettcher delivered a two-out single scoring Bennett Thompson, who led off the inning with a double into the left-field corner.

Oregon starter Grayson Grinsell (1-1) breezed through the first three innings but ran into control problems in the fourth. After retiring the first two batters, the next four hitters reached on either a hit-by-pitch (3) or a walk (1) before UCSB's Jonah Sebring drove in two runs with a double into the left-center field gap.

After another Grinsell walk loaded the bases, reliever Logan Mercado surrendered a blooper into left field that scored two more to give the Gauchos a 5-1 lead.

The Ducks cut into the lead with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Jeffery Heard led off the inning with an infield hit before moving to third on a Dominic Hellman double. Thompson picked up the RBI with a sacrifice fly to score Heard.

Oregon cut the lead to two with another run in the bottom of the eighth. The Ducks put two runners on with a pair of walks before Drew Smith picked up a two-out RBI scoring Justin Cassella from second.

UCSB (5-4) scored a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth and nearly needed them. Oregon loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning but a double play and a strikeout ended the Ducks threat.

Box Score Notes: Mercado was excellent in relief allowing no runs on five hits in 4.1 innings of work … He struck out three with no walks … The Ducks had the tying run at the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth … Oregon also stranded a pair of runners in the second and eighth innings … Oregon scored two of their three runs with two outs.

Up Next: Oregon will look to finish the series with UCSB with a win on Sunday. First pitch is at 12:05 p.m. at PK Park.

Quotes:

Head Coach Wasikowski:
On team's overall performance:
"I thought we stunk in an inning, and the rest of the game I thought we played okay. I'd like to see more sustained offense, but there was good fight at the end. But to go with two outs to have seven guys in a row reach base, that's probably not what it looks like."

On trouble closing out innings:
"I don't know. I'd have to look at the tape or whatever. But I mean you got two quick outs and then seven hitters went to the plate. It looked like a little league game with hit batsmen and walks in the fourth inning. It's not like its deep in the game or anything. That was uncharacteristic."

On showing fight late in the game:
"Yeah, I expect that. I expect the team that's on the field to fight the entire time, and they did last night and they did today, and they will continue to do that."

On Mercado's Performance and viability going forward:
"He's proved that he's a viable option, he gave us a chance to win the game. He settled things down when we needed it and he did a nice job settling things down to give us a chance, other than that very first ball that got hit for a two RBI single. The rest of the time it was zeroes and a way to win, I thought I was impressed with what Logan did. He gave us a chance to stay in the game and win in there, and tie it in the ninth."

On Michael Freund's performance…
"I thought he did a nice job. To do what he did to get out of that thing with only two and give us a chance to be able to tie and win that game. I think he definitely did a nice job in that inning."

On rearranging lineup…
"Time will tell. We're just trying to get our most competitive people up there as much as we can. Putting Jeffery Heard in the two hole, that gives him maybe another at bat, so for us that was a decision. He's been really competitive and a good hitter."