Ducks eliminated from NCAA baseball tourney after losing to Cal Poly, 10-8

The Oregon Ducks were eliminated from the NCAA baseball tournament Saturday, after a 10-8 loss to Cal Poly at PK Park in Eugene.

“I want to compliment [coach] Larry Lee’s club,” Mark Wasikowski, Oregon head coach, said, admiring both the coaching and the way the players pulled out the win, saying you could see the “grit and resilience that they’ve got.” 

Dylan Kordic got the Mustangs on the board first, hitting a two-run homer in the 2nd inning. The Ducks were able to respond in their next at-bat, cutting the lead in half.

The teams would go on trading runs over the next several innings.

The Mustangs stretched the lead back out to two in the bottom of the next inning after a sacrifice fly to right field by Ryan Fenn. Oregon was working on a response, but the umpire called an eye contact pitch violation, ending the inning for the Ducks. 

All seemed to stay calm until the top of the 5^th inning, when Oregon took advantage of two balks after a single base hit, and tied the game 3-3 after Dominic Hellman sent one over the fence. This was short-lived as Cal Poly answered with a single RBI by Ryan Fenn in the bottom of the inning. 

In the top of the 6th inning, momentum appeared to turn Oregon’s way after a solar home run by Jefferey Heard, and a two-run home run by Ryan Cooney giving the Ducks their first lead of the game. 

The Mustangs were able to cut the deficit by one after a home run in the bottom of the inning by Casey Murray Jr. 

Oregon seemed to build on the momentum, adding three in the 7th, including consecutive home runs by Drew Smith and Heard. 

But, it didn’t last long.

After a walk to start the inning, Oregon replaced pitcher Grayson Grinsell with Ian Umlandt, but things continued to go downhill for the Ducks.. 

Umlandt hit two batters and allowed three single base hits, giving Cal Poly a 9-8 lead, which would stretch to 10-8 following an 8th inning home run by Zach Daudet. 

“We ran into a couple of teams that outplayed us the last couple of days,” coach Wasikowski explained, still with pride for his club and his players. “Usually, good things come to the people that work the hardest, and you continue to teach and preach core values that are going to make each young person successful. I love these kids, and they’re fantastic young men.”