Ducks Look to Avenge Team's Heartbreaking Loss against Beavers
The Oregon Ducks (17-16, 7-8) will face off against the team’s in-state rival, the Oregon State Beavers (26-10, 8-7), for the second time this season on Wednesday. In their first matchup on April 18, the Beavers defeated the Ducks 11-10 despite an eight-run rally by the Ducks to tie the game in the eighth inning.
Redshirt senior outfielder Steven Packard and freshman infielder Travis Moniot led the comeback, going a combined 6 for 10 with two home runs, six RBIs, one triple, and two runs scored. For Oregon State, Christian Donahue and Logan Ice led the attack on the Ducks going for a combined 7- for- 8 with four runs scored and three RBIs between the two.
The Ducks struggled during the first few innings in the team’s last meeting with the Beavers, allowing eight runs in the first four frames.
“[Oregon State] capitalized on everything we gave them,” Oregon coach George Horton told GoDucks.com. “But the face my guys got off the deck and had a chance to win, ultimately I’m proud of my guys.”
The Ducks will look for Junior pitcher Stephen Nogosek, who is 1-1 with nine saves and a 1.16 ERA this season, to close the game out against the Beavers if needed. Last season, Nogosek set a school record for appearances with 39, to go along with a 6-3 record and a 2.02 ERA. Last, week, Nogosek was also placed on the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watchlist, an award given to the best amateur baseball player in the country.
The pitching rotation will be key for the Ducks, as they are loaded at the position with junior Cole Irvin and sophomores Matt Krook and David Peterson waiting for their opportunities. All four pitchers have combined for a total of 81 starts. The trio has shown that they are crucial to the team, as they helped the Ducks beat the Illinois State Redhawks in a four-game series earlier this season. Irvin, Krook, and Peterson combined to go 2-0 while allowing just four runs (three earned) on six hits in 22 innings with 29 strikeouts.
The Ducks will have the opportunity to get out from the back end of the Pac-12 standings as they currently stand tied with Stanford and USC (7-8) for the second worst record in the conference. First pitch is at 7 p.m. at PK Park.
Interview snippets courtesy of GoDucks.com
