Oregon won the home opener at PK Park yesterday in dramatic fashion, as Andrew Schmidt hit a walk off hit in the bottom of the 9th, men on 1st and 3rd, 2 outs, and a full count.
While Schmidt may be the hero, the MVP is ace pitcher Tyler Anderson. He went 8 innings, striking out five, giving up only 6 hits, and not allowing a run. He got outs when he needed to, and took Oregon into the 9th in the position to win the game.
Fresno State did a fantastic job pitching for the first 8 2/3 innings. Then the dreaded two-out rally started. Eddy Rodriguez and Jett Hart (probably the offensive MVP with 2 hits and a stolen base on the game) had strong singles to set up runners on first and third. Schmidt, a pinch hitter, worked the count, and got a single to win the game.
And this really could be a preview of Oregon baseball. We saw (or listened to) great pitching and defense, and (as much as I hate to say it) "timely" hitting. This team is not great offensively, but it will improve and score some runs.
OregonLive has a video of the great day, so relive all the "firsts" below (note that this video may not work with Firefox, but should in Internet Explorer):
In today's battle, we'll see junior right-hander Erik Staver (0-1, 8.44), who got roughed up in his last outing against St. Mary's, as long as the game isn't canceled due to weather.
Either way, consider this your place to discuss all things Oregon Baseball! GO DUCKS!