PULLMAN, Wash. – No. 6 Oregon took advantage of an error in the 11th inning to score the go ahead run and then held on for a 4-3 win over Washington State on Sunday.
Mitchell Tolman scored from first base on a Scott Heineman single to center field that Austin Pernell booted. Tolman, who started the rally with a two-out hit and moved to third on the hit by Heineman, scored when Pernell let the rolling ball get past him.
Heineman led Oregon going 3-for-6 at the plate, while Tolman was 2-for-5 with a RBI and a run scored. J.J. Altobelli reached base four times going 2-for-3 with a RBI and two walks. Brett Thomas was also 2-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI.
Garrett Cleavinger wins!
Garrett Cleavinger (6-0) picked up his second win of the series in helping the Ducks sweep Washington State (20-23, 7-14 PAC-12) for the first time in the modern era of Oregon baseball. Darrell Hunter pitched the 11th to get his first career save.
Tolman gave Oregon (37-11, 19-5 Pac-12) a 1-0 lead in the top of the first with a RBI double scoring Thomas, but Washington State got the run back on a Collin Slaybaugh RBI triple in the bottom of the first.
Oregon took the lead back with a run in the top of the second. Thomas doubled down the left field line scoring Josh Graham to put the Ducks in the lead. Oregon left the bases loaded when Ryon Healy fouled out to the first baseman to end the inning.
Yale Rosen tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with a leadoff home run off starter Jake Reed, who gave up just two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings.
Great bunt
Oregon got the lead back in the top of the eighth with some help from the Cougars. Steven Packard led off and reached second when shortstop Ian Sagdal dropped a pop fly. Connor Hofmann moved pinch runner Desmond Santos to third with a sacrifice bunt and then Altobelli drove in the run with a ground ball to second.
Washington State forced the game into extra innings with a run in the ninth on Jimmie Sherfy’s first blown save of the season. Sagdal delivered a one-out single that scored pinch runner Michael Monda.
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Charles Fischer has been an intense fan of the Ducks, a season ticket holder at Autzen Stadium for 38 years and has written reports on football boards for over 26 years. Known as “FishDuck” on those boards, he is acknowledged for providing intense detail in his scrimmage reports, and in his Xs and Os play analyses. He is single, has a daughter Christine, and resides in Eugene Oregon where he was a Financial Advisor for 36 years.
He now focuses full-time on Charitable Planned Giving Workshops for churches and non-profit organizations in addition to managing his two Oregon Football Websites, of FishDuck.com and the Our Beloved Ducks forum. He is a busy man!
He does not profess to be a coach or analyst, but simply a “hack” that enjoys sharing what he has learned and invites others to correct or add to this body of Oregon Football! See More…