Ducks take series, 3-1, against the Rainbow Warriors with several late-game heroics to clinch the series victory over Hawaii before heading back to Oregon for Civil War Battle.
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Hawaii
Ducks 6 - Rainbow Warriors 7
Final: Hawaii 7, Oregon 6
— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) March 8, 2019
Ducks drop the series opener despite a 14-hit night. Spencer Steer goes 4-for-4 with a double and a triple. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/cvD00BISW1
- Bullpen and fielder stumbles blew the Ducks 4-run lead in game 1 of the road series at Les Murakami Stadium in Honolulu. Oregon’s SP Robert Alhstrom was solid in his start throwing five scoreless innings against the Rainbow Warriors.
Alhstrom, R. (3-1) 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 5 K, 0 BB
- Oregon scored an early unearned run in the top of the first on an error by Hawaii’s 1B Alex Baeza that brought CF Jonny DeLuca around to score from second. The Ducks scored three more runs in the 4th and 5th inning. The lone run in the 4th came from a 2B Max Foxcraft single to right scoring DH Aaron Zavala. Oregon rattled off two more runs in the 5th with a Jakob Goldfarb single to left field scoring SS Spencer Steer. RF Goldfarb was later knocked in by Zavala to extend Oregon’s lead 4-0.
- Hawaii answered back with a two-run 6th inning. Ducks’ RP Peyton Fuller gave up two runs, one earned with little help from his fielders. C Cameron Campbell over-threw his second baseman on a stolen base allowing the baserunner to take third and later scoring on a single. Steer later committed an error allowing Baeza to reach base, putting Yamazaki in scoring position.
- The Rainbow Warriors took the lead 7-6 in the 8th with a bases-loaded double down the left field line off the bat of Daylen Calicdan to take their first lead of the game and the final.
- Besides the error, Steer had a solid night going 4-4 with 2 runs scored. Zavala was clutch as usual going 3-5 with 2 RBI’s and a run scored.
- Ciuffetelli, C. (L, 0-1) 0.2 IP 3 ER, 3 H, 1 BB
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Hawaii
Ducks 3 - Rainbow Warriors 1
Oregon bounces back behind strong pitching performances by @ckafka16 and @ksomers24 for a 3-1 win in game two at Hawaii. @Snovitske55 leads the way offensively, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two stolen bases. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/HpFRHWvxZU
— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) March 9, 2019
- After the bullpen debacle in game 1 Ducks’ head coach George Horton leaned much more heavily on his starter Cullen Kafka for game 2. Oregon took an early 1st inning lead once again scoring on a double-steal as DeLuca nabs second base while 3B Sam Novitske steals home. Matthews singled to right field on the next at-bat bring DeLuca in from second for a 2-0 lead.
- Kafka Dominated seven innings of work allowing only 1 run, on 6 hits and a walk, with 5 K’s. Hawaii’s lone run of the game came in the 4th from a single up the middle by 3B Ethan Lopez scoring Baeza, who doubled in the prior at-bat.
- DeLuca gave the Ducks a 3-1 lead in the 7th inning with an RBI single up the right side scoring Novitske after advancing from first to third base on a consecutive wild-pitch and past-ball.
- RP Kolby Somers was lights out coming into the game for relief in the 8th. Somers struck-out two batters in the final two innings of work. Completing Oregon’s dominating pitching performance after rebounding from their struggles the game before.
- Novitske led the Ducks batters going 3-5 with 2 runs scored.
- Kafka C. (W, 2-0) 7.0 IP 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 5 K
- Somers K (S, 1) 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K
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Hawaii
Ducks 4 - Rainbow Warriors 3
Oregon erased a two-run deficit in the seventh inning thanks to a bases-clearing double by @goldie623 to get a 4-3 at Hawaii. @Snovitske55 turned in the team's only multi-hit game with a 2-for-5 day while @Tellache_nico locked it down with a six-out save. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/eq1xVKrFbr
— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) March 10, 2019
- Each game saw 1st inning saw runs, this time however it was Hawaii that got on the board first. Baeza drove Calicdan in after advancing into scoring position off a wild pitch. DH Logan Pouelsen knocked in Baeza in on an RBI single up the gut to give the Rainbow Warriors an early 2-0 lead.
- Once SP Ryne Nelson got out of the rough first inning he really settled in, throwing three scoreless before the Ducks were able to get in the run column in the 5th inning.
- Goldfarb came up big for Oregon in game 3 of the series. After reaching base on an error by 2B Jack Kennelly, Goldfarb scored off a ground-out by 2B Kyle Froemke back to Kennelly for a 2-1 Hawaii lead. It was the 8th inning where Goldfarb shined brightest. Down by two with the bases loaded Goldfarb smoked a three-run double down the left field line bringing in Matthews, Steer and Novitske to earn a 4-3 victory.
- Nico Tellache came into the game in the 8th inning to shut the door down throwing two scoreless innings.
- Keaton, C. (W, 2-0) 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 0 K
- Tellache, N. (S, 3) 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 K
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Hawaii
Ducks 8 - Rainbow Warriors 7
Two days, two comeback wins.
— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) March 11, 2019
Oregon scores three in the ninth inning to erase a two-run deficit in an 8-7 in the finale at Hawaii. @Gabe_Matthews3 goes 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI while @Zavala11Aaron finishes 2-for-4 with three RBI. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/Fsg2IQYnTT
- Zavala and Matthews led Oregon’s bats in their high-scoring come back victory. Hawaii came out quickly again in the final game of the series. DH Max Crabbe drove in 5 of the Rainbow Warriors 7 runs including the first two off singles in the 1st and 3rd inning.
- The Ducks took the lead right back with a four-run 5th inning. Zavala and Campbell scored after LF Vinny Tosti reached first on a fielders choice. Shortly there after with runners in scoring position Matthews sent a double to left field bringing in Novitske to take the lead back 4-3.
- Hawaii’s Baeza came up big in the 6th with a homer to right field scoring RF Tyler Best to push their lead to 7-4.
- Oregon’s bats showed up in crunch time for the second-straight game. Zavala was the hero in the late innings bringing in DeLuca on a sac-fly in the 7th and doubling to left field in the 9th scoring Goldfarb and PR Marco Young to tie the game up at 7-7 a piece. The Ducks took the lead soon after as PH Tanner Smith singled up the right side scoring Evan Williams to give Oregon an 8-7 going in to the bottom of the 9th.
- Alhstrom came into the game in the 8th and kept Hawaii’s bats quiet to seal the 9th inning comeback for the Ducks. Matthews was 4-5 with an RBI while Zavala went 2-4 with 3 RBI’s to help lead Oregon to the victory.
- Alhstrom, R. (W, 3-1) 2.0 IP 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K
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STATE OF THE PAC
#25 Arizona State (17-0-0) / Conf. (1-0-0)
#2 UCLA (13-3-0) / Conf. (1-0-0)
Washington (10-4-0) / Conf. (1-0-0)
#2 Utah (7-6-0) / Conf. (1-0-0)
USC (6-10-0) / Conf. (1-0-0)
#4 Stanford (13-3-0) / Conf. (0-0-0)
#3 Oregon State (12-2-0) / Conf. (0-1-0)
Oregon (10-5-0) / Conf. (0-1-0)
Arizona (10-7-0) / Conf. (0-1-0)
California (8-7-0) / Conf. (0-1-0)
Washington State (6-11-0) / Conf. (0-1-0)
*Rankings determined by Pac-12.com and D1Baseball.com Top 25
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DUCK OF THE WEEK
Gabe Matthews
These guys continued to rake this weekend at Hawaii. @Gabe_Matthews3 now leads the conference in batting average at .457 while @Zavala11Aaron is ninth at .396.
— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) March 12, 2019
Ducks as a team are third in the Pac-12, hitting .294, and are 3rd in the league in total hits (134). #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/rdPn5kvDUw
In the four-game series against Hawaii, Matthews hit an incredibly impressive .615 with three doubles. Matthews has been on a tear all season. He’s hitting a team-leading .469 with an OBP of .594. Matthews also leads the team in RBI’s (11) and HR (2). Showing this young and promising freshman class what consistency looks like.
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On Deck:
#3 Oregon State (12-2-0)