LSU Pitching Freezes Oregon Offense, Forces Pivotal Game 7

Oregon’s offense put up just one run and four hits Sunday night.

Author:
Dylan Reubenking
Publish date:
Jun 7, 2021 11:55 AM EDT

The top-seeded Oregon Ducks failed to clinch the Eugene Regional Sunday night in a 4-1 loss to the No. 3-seeded LSU Tigers at PK Park. The Tigers’ pitchers shut down the red-hot Ducks' bats, holding them to one run on just four hits.

After closing out a 9-4 victory over the No. 2-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs earlier in the day, Tigers reliever Trent Vietmeier came back onto the mound to start for the first time in his career against the Ducks. He entered the game already with a 1-0 lead thanks to a fielder’s choice that scored Dylan Crews, who led the game off with a double.

Vietmeier struck out two batters and left Aaron Zavala stranded at second before handing the ball off to freshman lefty Javen Coleman in the second inning. Coleman gave up a double to Oregon shortstop Josh Kasevich on the first pitch he threw, but he wouldn’t allow much more in what was a career night for the Richmond, Texas, native.

Trailing for the first time in the NCAA Tournament, the Ducks led off the third inning with a Gavin Grant single up the middle. Shortly thereafter, a Tanner Smith base hit put both he and Grant in scoring position on a botched rundown by the Tigers' infield defense. Kenyon Yovan plated Grant on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at one run apiece.

The two teams wouldn't stay deadlocked for long as Tigers' left fielder Gavin Dugas demolished a solo shot over the left field wall to lead off the fourth inning. The Ducks' offense couldn’t respond as Coleman retired nine of the next 10 batters he faced after Dugas gave him the extra run of support.

That wouldn’t be the only support that Dugas would provide. He drilled a line drive off the wall in left center for a triple and chugged all the way home on an error by Smith in left to make it 3-1.

Ducks starter Brett Walker made it to the eighth inning for the first time this season. He couldn’t escape the inning as Crews smacked his third home run of the regional to extend the lead to 4-1, and Dugas hit a two-out double for his third extra-base hit of the game and fourth of the day.

Walker was pulled after going 7.2 innings of work, giving up four runs (three earned) on nine hits and one walk to go with five strikeouts.

“I thought the ball was coming out of his hand as well as it did all year long,” Oregon Head Coach Mark Wasikowski said of his starter. “There were a couple of pitches that got away from Brett, and they hit ‘em.”

On the other side, Coleman pitched a career-best six innings, allowing one run on three hits, three walks and six punchouts.

“It was a Friday night performance out of the young man,” Wasikowski said of Coleman. “You really do tip your cap to him. He was tremendous.”

The Ducks had one last shot to mount a comeback in the ninth — Kasevich reached first on an error and Tristan Hanoian earned a pinch-hit walk to bring the tying run to the plate in Sam Olsson. Tigers closer Devin Fontenot struck out Olsson to secure the victory and keep the Tigers’ season alive.

In the first two games of the regional, the Ducks' offense looked unstoppable, scoring 20 runs on 23 hits. Sunday night was a completely different story as the Ducks were just 1-for-15 with runners aboard and 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

“It was a really good college baseball game, and it was one that you love to win and hate to lose,” Wasikowski said.

The loss means the Ducks will have to take a win-or-go-home game Game 7 against LSU Monday night (7 p.m. PT) to advance to Super Regionals. No. 3 overall seed Tennessee won the Knoxville Regional, meaning the Ducks would face the Volunteers should they win Monday.

Wasikowski wouldn’t name a starting pitcher for Game 7, but said that “everybody’s available and everybody will be on the table.”

Wasikowski was impressed with how the Ducks hung with a storied program in LSU, but he and his team aren’t satisfied.

“We’re not after this thing for a participation trophy,” he said. “We’re after this thing to win this thing.

“We’re not just happy to be in a regional final game. We’re going to come out and give it our best shot to win this regional to go to a super regional.”

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