Seattle University hung with 11th-ranked Oregon during the early portion of Tuesday’s game, but the Ducks maintained their offensive intensity through the middle innings to pull away for a 12-7 victory over the Redhawks at Everett Memorial Stadium.
After Oregon scored a run in the top of the first inning, Seattle U responded when Chase Fields (Ontario, Ore.) led off the bottom of the first with a double, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored when Brian Olson (Black Diamond, Wash.) singled up the middle. Ryan Hambright led off the top of the second with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly to put the Ducks back on top, but the Redhawks put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the second as Fields singled and scored on a double by Landon Cray (Chimacum, Wash.).
Brett Thomas led off the top of the third inning with a double, Aaron Payne reached base on a bunt single, and Ryon Healy drove both men in with a double to left field. Healy took third base on the attempt to throw out Payne at home, and he would score on a groundout by Marshall Tolman.
Seattle U once again fought back in the bottom of the third, starting when Ryan Somers (Sammamish, Wash.) drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Olson would reach base on an error, putting runners on the corners, and Sean Narby (Auburn, Wash.) followed with a single that drove Somers in. Cullen Hendrickson (Auburn, Wash.) laced a single to center field that scored Olson, and Cash McGuire (Kent, Wash.) followed with his own single to score Narby, tying the game at 5-5.
With two outs in the top of the fourth, Thomas and Payne drew back-to-back walks, and Healy drove in Thomas with a single. After both runners advanced one base on a wild pitch, Tolman drove both Payne and Healy in with a single to left field, giving the Ducks an 8-5 advantage.
The Redhawks would get one back in the bottom of the fourth when Somers scored on a wild pitch, but Oregon kept the pressure on the Seattle U pitching staff. In the sixth inning, Payne and Craig Meredith notched back-to-back doubles, and Tolman followed with an RBI single that scored pinch runner Kevin Minjares, extending the Duck lead to 10-5.
Nick Latta (Tacoma, Wash.) drove in Somers with a single in the bottom of the sixth, but Oregon’s defense prevented any further damage. The Ducks closed out the scoring in the eighth inning as Thomas and Payne were both hit by pitches, advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Minjares, and scored on a single by Tolman, giving the Oregon designated hitter seven RBI in the game.
“We did not do a good job with Oregon’s top of the order. I thought our offense competed well against one of the best pitching staffs in the country, but we gave up too many freebies. I like how our guys fought, they were not overwhelmed by the Oregon pitchers, which gives us confidence going into tomorrow’s game, but we need to do a better job pitching,” Seattle U head coach Donny Harrel said.
Christian Jones was credited with the victory for Oregon, as he was in the game when the Ducks took the lead for good. Derek Smith pitched the final three innings for Oregon, allowing just three hits while striking out two Redhawk batters to earn his first save of the season. Mason Stidham (Star, Idaho) suffered the loss for Seattle U after allowing three runs on two hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings of relief.
Oregon (34-10) saw the majority of its offense come from the top of its batting order, as the first four hitters in the lineup went 9-for-12 with three walks and 11 runs scored. Narby was 2-for-3 with two walks, while Fields, Cray, and Hendrickson each posted 2-for-5 efforts at the plate during the night.
Seattle University (17-26) will host Oregon at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue Wednesday, May 1, at 4 p.m., followed by a three-game Western Athletic Conference series against Sacramento State May 3-5. Freshman Connor Moore (West Richland, Wash.) will start for the Redhawks, while the Ducks will send junior righthander Clayton Crum to the mound.