Friday, February 21
Eugene, Ore.
3:05 p.m.
University of Oregon
3-2
11
vs
12
Rhode Island
3-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Rhode Island
0
1
0
0
0
7
4
0
0
12
11
2
Oregon
0
1
0
0
1
2
3
2
2
11
13
1
Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Ducks Host Doubleheader Saturday Looking For Bounceback
02/21/25 | Baseball
Oregon and Rhode Island meet twice Saturday after the Rams took the series-opener Friday.
EUGENE, Ore. — A crooked number in the middle innings for Rhode Island provided enough cushion to survive Oregon's late-inning resilience Friday at PK Park.
The No. 11 Ducks scored in each of the last five innings as the two teams opened a four-game series, but the Rams' seven-run sixth put Oregon in a hole that was just a little too deep as the UO baseball team lost, 12-11. The series continues with a doubleheader Saturday.
Jacob Walsh had three hits, including a two-run double in the ninth as Oregon attempted to rally all the way back from the 12-4 deficit the Ducks faced entering the seventh-inning stretch. Mason Neville and Anson Aroz both homered and Julien Hernandez provided two scoreless innings of relief, but ultimately those contributions came in defeat.
"There were some positives; obviously every day you show up, there's some positives," UO coach Mark Wasikowski said. "But at the end of the day, the goal was to win the game. We didn't."
How It Happened: The Rams, coming off a win Sunday in which they scored 36 runs in seven innings against William & Mary, brought that momentum with them to Eugene. They scored first Friday, on an RBI double in the second inning off UO starter Grayson Grinsell.
Oregon tied it in the bottom of the inning. With two outs and two strikes, Drew Smith lashed a double the opposite way between the first baseman and the bag. He took third on an errant pick-off throw and scored on a balk, and later had an RBI single in the seventh on a night Smith made his first career appearance in the outfield.
"Drew's a good player, and we're trying to find places to be able to put good players," Wasikowski said. "I think he's a really good outfielder. His prep work that he's had for quite a while in the outfield now, it's been pretty outstanding, and he's got an exceptional arm. He's a guy you can play anywhere on the field."
Neville's solo homer in the bottom of the fifth gave Oregon a 2-1 lead. But the Rams broke it open in the sixth, hitting two three-run homers during a seven-run inning off three UO pitchers.
Aroz homered to lead off the bottom of the sixth, and Carter Garate later made it 8-4 with a single that scored Jack Brooks. But Rhode Island batted around for the second straight inning in the seventh, tacking on four more runs for a 12-4 lead.
The Ducks kept fighting, scoring three times in the bottom of the seventh on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Brooks, the RBI single by Smith and a wild pitch that scored Maddox Molony.
Hernandez took the ball for the top of the eighth and provided some hope for the Ducks, throwing a 1-2-3 frame. In the bottom of the inning, Oregon loaded the bases with no outs before Molony was hit by a pitch to score a run, and Brooks brought in another with a fielder's choice before Hernandez went back out and threw a scoreless ninth.
"I was very proud of Julian," Wasikowski said. "He came out there tonight, I thought he really did give us a lot of energy. He was pounding the strike zone, and he was able to put two zeros on the board when he was out there. I think that was fantastic — any time that you go out there and you're on defense and you're walking off the field and the other team gets a zero, that's energizing that the score is kept where it was. And so I credit Julian for that."
Hernandez was in line to be the winning pitcher if Oregon could have completed the comeback. In the bottom of the ninth, Neville worked a one-out walk and Dominic Hellman also walked, the fifth time Friday that Hellman reached base. Walsh followed with a two-run double to make it 12-11.
Aroz was then hit by a pitch and Molony walked to load the bases with one out. A strikeout sent Smith to the plate with two out and the bases loaded, looking to cap the comeback, but a high flyball to left died just in front of the fence and Rhode Island held on.
Up Next: The teams play a doubleheader at PK Park on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.
The No. 11 Ducks scored in each of the last five innings as the two teams opened a four-game series, but the Rams' seven-run sixth put Oregon in a hole that was just a little too deep as the UO baseball team lost, 12-11. The series continues with a doubleheader Saturday.
Jacob Walsh had three hits, including a two-run double in the ninth as Oregon attempted to rally all the way back from the 12-4 deficit the Ducks faced entering the seventh-inning stretch. Mason Neville and Anson Aroz both homered and Julien Hernandez provided two scoreless innings of relief, but ultimately those contributions came in defeat.
"There were some positives; obviously every day you show up, there's some positives," UO coach Mark Wasikowski said. "But at the end of the day, the goal was to win the game. We didn't."
How It Happened: The Rams, coming off a win Sunday in which they scored 36 runs in seven innings against William & Mary, brought that momentum with them to Eugene. They scored first Friday, on an RBI double in the second inning off UO starter Grayson Grinsell.
Oregon tied it in the bottom of the inning. With two outs and two strikes, Drew Smith lashed a double the opposite way between the first baseman and the bag. He took third on an errant pick-off throw and scored on a balk, and later had an RBI single in the seventh on a night Smith made his first career appearance in the outfield.
"Drew's a good player, and we're trying to find places to be able to put good players," Wasikowski said. "I think he's a really good outfielder. His prep work that he's had for quite a while in the outfield now, it's been pretty outstanding, and he's got an exceptional arm. He's a guy you can play anywhere on the field."
Neville's solo homer in the bottom of the fifth gave Oregon a 2-1 lead. But the Rams broke it open in the sixth, hitting two three-run homers during a seven-run inning off three UO pitchers.
Aroz homered to lead off the bottom of the sixth, and Carter Garate later made it 8-4 with a single that scored Jack Brooks. But Rhode Island batted around for the second straight inning in the seventh, tacking on four more runs for a 12-4 lead.
The Ducks kept fighting, scoring three times in the bottom of the seventh on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Brooks, the RBI single by Smith and a wild pitch that scored Maddox Molony.
Hernandez took the ball for the top of the eighth and provided some hope for the Ducks, throwing a 1-2-3 frame. In the bottom of the inning, Oregon loaded the bases with no outs before Molony was hit by a pitch to score a run, and Brooks brought in another with a fielder's choice before Hernandez went back out and threw a scoreless ninth.
"I was very proud of Julian," Wasikowski said. "He came out there tonight, I thought he really did give us a lot of energy. He was pounding the strike zone, and he was able to put two zeros on the board when he was out there. I think that was fantastic — any time that you go out there and you're on defense and you're walking off the field and the other team gets a zero, that's energizing that the score is kept where it was. And so I credit Julian for that."
Hernandez was in line to be the winning pitcher if Oregon could have completed the comeback. In the bottom of the ninth, Neville worked a one-out walk and Dominic Hellman also walked, the fifth time Friday that Hellman reached base. Walsh followed with a two-run double to make it 12-11.
Aroz was then hit by a pitch and Molony walked to load the bases with one out. A strikeout sent Smith to the plate with two out and the bases loaded, looking to cap the comeback, but a high flyball to left died just in front of the fence and Rhode Island held on.
Up Next: The teams play a doubleheader at PK Park on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jeremy Urena (1-0)
L: Grinsell, Grayson (0-1)
S: Joe Sabbath (2)
Batting:
2B: Anthony DePino 1 ; Rob Butler 1
HR: DJ Perron 1 ; Adonis Medina 1
RBI: Eric Genther 1 ; DJ Perron 4 ; Scott Penney 1 ; Rob Butler 2 ; Adonis Medina 3
SH: Scott Penney 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Anthony DePino 1 ; Eric Genther 2 ; Reece Moroney 1 ; Jack Hopko 2 ; DJ Perron 3 ; Scott Penney 1 ; Rob Butler 1 ; Adonis Medina 1
CS: Adonis Medina 1
HBP: Jack Hopko 1
PO: Adonis Medina 1
Batting:
2B: Walsh, Jacob 1 ; Smith, Drew 1
HR: Neville, Mason 1 ; Aroz, Anson 1
RBI: Neville, Mason 1 ; Walsh, Jacob 2 ; Aroz, Anson 1 ; Molony, Maddox 1 ; Brooks, Jack 2 ; Smith, Drew 1 ; Garate, Carter 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Neville, Mason 2 ; Hellman, Dominic 2 ; Gimenez, Jax 1 ; Walsh, Jacob 1 ; Aroz, Anson 2 ; Molony, Maddox 1 ; Brooks, Jack 1 ; Smith, Drew 1
SB: Brooks, Jack 1
HBP: Hellman, Dominic 1 ; Aroz, Anson 1 ; Molony, Maddox 1
Game Leaders
AB
6
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
rf/3b
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
UTL
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
1B
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