The host Oregon Ducks received a mostly strong performance from pitcher Jason Reitz, save for two innings that ultimately cost the Ducks.
EUGENE – The Oregon Ducks baseball team’s run in the NCAA tournament got off to a poor start Friday night at PK Park.
No. 4 seed Utah Valley beat the top-seeded Ducks 6-5 in the first round of the Eugene Regional, sending Oregon to an elimination game against Cal Poly at noon Saturday.
The Wolverines (33-27) play No. 2-seed Arizona (40-18) at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Wildcats won 3-2 over No. 3-seed Cal Poly (41-18) in Friday’s early game.
Oregon (42-15) watched starter Jason Reitz put together a mostly magnificent performance outside of two innings.
The 6-foot-11 junior struck out 14 in six innings but allowed four earned runs in the third and put two runners on base in the seventh. Both scored after Reitz was removed from the game.
Reitz’s 14 strikeouts are tied for fourth at Oregon in the modern era and are the most by a Ducks pitcher in postseason history.
UO right fielder Drew Smith hit two home runs and drove in three runs, but left the tying run on base in the ninth when he recorded the game’s final out on a grounder to short.
Oregon played from behind all night. Utah Valley’s first assault came in the third, when the Wolverines scored four runs. Jimmy De Anda got things started with a double to left that scored Brody Block. CJ Colyer also had a run-scoring single, followed by a two-run single by Mason Strong.
Reitz got out of the inning with another strikeout.
The Ducks responded with three runs in the bottom of hte inning, two coming a two-run homer by Smith. Aroz also homered, cutting the UVU lead to 4-3.
Reitz dominated the next three innings, striking out seven batters to keep the score at 4-3. But trouble popped up in the seventh, when Reitz put the first two batters on base with a walk and a hit batter.
A pick off throw by reliever Santiago Garcia sailed into the outfield, allowing the runners to advance. Two hitters later, De Anda delivered a two-run single for a 6-3 Wolverines lead.
The Ducks trimmed the deficit to 6-4 in the eighth on a homer by Smith. Then came the fireworks.
Aroz walked, then moved to third on a single by Molony. Chase Meggers followed, teasing with a couple of long balls that drifted just foul. He then lofted a sacrifice fly that initially plated Aroz, pulling the Ducks to within one.
But Utah Valley coach Nate Rasmussen asked the umpires to review the call, saying that Aroz caused “malicious contact” in bowling over UVU catcher Mason Strong at the plate. After a review conducted at the NCAA’s replay command center in Pittsburgh, the game officials announced that Aroz was out and ejected him.
Aroz is automatically suspended for Saturday’s game against Cal Poly.
The Ducks mildly threatened in the ninth. Carter Garate led off with a walk, and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Walsh. But closer Cooper Littledike slammed the door, getting Smith to ground out and seal the upset win.
Source: Utah News