Baseball Recap: Ducks Take One On The Chin, Drop Series Finale to Utah 13-1

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah— Oregon’s pitching staff got lit up again, and the offense couldn’t buy a run as the Utes of Utah shellacked the Ducks 13-1 Sunday at Smith’s Ballpark.

Freshman lefty starter Zack Noll (1-2) struggled for the second consecutive outing, not even making it through the first inning before being pulled for sophomore left hander Cole Stringer. Stringer fared only slightly better, giving up six runs (five earned) on seven hits while striking out four and walking one in his six innings of long relief. Junior right hander Brac Warren relieved Stringer in the eighth, and continued the recent trend of poor pitching out of the bullpen, giving up four runs on five hits in just an inning and two thirds. For the game, Noll’s inglorious line looks like this: three runs on three hits with one walk, zero strikeouts, and two balks.

Apart from freshman third baseman Spencer Steer (3-3 including an RBI triple in the seventh for the Ducks only run), the rest of the offense for Oregon (17-8, 5-4) struggled, as Utah starter Josh Lapiana (2-3) mowed down the Ducks, retiring Oregon’s batters in order in five of his eight innings of work. For the game Lapiana gave up only one run on six hits while striking out nine without issuing a walk. Reliever Dylan Drachler pitched a hitless ninth to close out the game for Utah (12-13, 3-6).

The Ducks next travel to Provo for a rare Monday game, as they take on the Cougars of BYU at Miller Park. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm.

Game notes: The Ducks have now lost consecutive games for only the second time in 2017, the first coming in their opening series of the season against Fresno State... Stringer saw his season ERA rise from 3.33 to 4.09... Steer’s team-leading 19th RBI puts him at 10th place in the PAC-12... flame-throwing freshman reliever Kenyon Yovan made a rare start in the field at first base Sunday, going 1-3 at the plate with a single and two stikeouts... in addition to Noll’s two balks, Oregon pitchers Sunday uncorked three wild pitchers and hit a batter.