Written story by Isaac Dubey

Audio story by Cuinn Huber

EUGENE, Ore. – No. 20 Oregon Ducks (37-16, 17-11 Pac-12) came from behind in the bottom of the eighth inning to catapult themselves to an 8-4 win in the second game of the series against Washington State (21-32, 9-19 Pac-12) at PK Park on Saturday. Being down three runs to start the inning, the Ducks accumulated seven runs and cycled through four Cougar pitchers in the inning.

Center fielder Bryce Boettcher, who had a three-run home run to cap off the scoring eruption, said the mentality in the dugout was to “get the next guy out of the bullpen,” and “the more arms you see the better chances you have for the next day.”

Oregon struggled to get batters on base the majority of the night, but pitcher Grayson Grinsell (7-2) kept the Cougars in check with 11 strikeouts and only allowed two runs in the first six innings.

Head coach Mark Wasikowski said Grinsell did some “tinkering” on his slider and curveball this week and continues to improve. “He was an outfielder in high school that pitched and now he’s a pitcher that dreams of being an outfielder,” Coach Wasikowski said after the game.

In the second inning, Maddox Molony scored as Chase Meggers was caught trying to steal second. This was Oregon’s lone run scored before the eighth inning. This was also the first of two times the Ducks would end an inning trying to steal second base.

The Cougars would eventually find life and score in the fifth inning with a solo home run from Joey Kramer. It was his 11th this season and second in the series. After Grinsell walked two batters in the sixth, the Cougars scored another runner with a hit from Logan Johnstone. Washington State then began to add to its lead in the top of the eighth inning off of a two-RBI single from Alan Shibley.

This set up for the dramatic finish Oregon would pull off in the bottom of the eighth. The Ducks racked up seven runs, five hits, three hit-by-pitch calls and one walk in the inning. The inning was highlighted by Jacob Walsh’s two-RBI double, Molony’s two-RBI single and Boettcher’s three-run home run which put the nail in the coffin.

Now that Oregon has won the first two games of the series, it will look to complete its first conference series sweep this season on Saturday.

“We might need to sacrifice a live chicken somewhere or a rooster. We need to do something where we can get this done tomorrow,” Coach Wasikowski said of the final game of the series.

The Ducks’ Senior Day and final game of the regular season will be Saturday at 12:05 p.m. at PK Park.

By Cuinn Huber

The Oregon Ducks baseball team (34-16, 16-11 Pac-12) is hoping to close out their final Pac-12 regular season series ever with a victory. Most recently, they defeated their biggest rivals, the Washington Huskies, two games to one in Seattle. Coming into this final series, the team has a 34-16 record and is ranked No. 23 nationwide. This series will determine whether or not they will be among the full regular season top 25. The team’s Friday starter, RJ Gordon, currently has an ERA of 4.98 and 72 innings pitched. On the offense, doubles superstar Bryce Boettcher has a team-high 40 runs coming into the series.

The Washington State Cougars (21-29, 9-18 Pac-12) have so far had a disappointing season. With a current record of 21-29, the Cougars will be hoping to end their season on a good note against a ranked opponent. With a victory against Oregon State on May 4, they have proven their ability to show up when it matters.

“They’re a team that can sneak up and get you,” Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said.

The team will be relying on Grant Taylor and his 3.79 ERA to keep athletes like Boettcher at bay. On the batting side, Cole Cramer is hoping to keep up his impressive batting average as he and everyone else play their final-ever Pac-12 series.

The biggest factors going into this game are going to be consistency and depth within the teams. Oregon currently has three pitchers with an ERA under five, all of whom have pitched more than 60 innings. Washington State, on the other hand, has two, meaning the pitching is, at least on paper, very close with a slight Oregon advantage. In terms of hitting, Oregon has a clear advantage with six hitters with 30 runs or more compared to Washington State’s three. However, this is not enough to secure a victory. Whoever wins this series will be the team that plays consistently, not erratically.

My prediction is that Oregon ends up winning this series due to the team’s depth and motivation to win its final Pac-12 home series. The team has been on a tear recently, having defeated their two biggest rivals, Oregon State and Washington, in the past three weeks. Nonetheless, I do believe Washington State will win one of the games due to the 2-1 winning series habit the Ducks have displayed all season.

Final Series Prediction:

Oregon 2, Washington State 1