Oregon baseball lost badly at home for the second time in as many weekends, which will have a long-term effect on the team’s resume come postseason time.
The No. 11 Ducks lost 12-11 to Rhode Island Friday afternoon at PK Park. Grayson Grinsell, the starter, gave up four runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four in 5.1 innings. Santiago Garcia and Ryan Featherston, the relievers, combined to give up seven more runs.
After Oregon grabbed a 2-1 lead after five innings, Rhode Island regained command with a seven-run sixth inning and managed to hold on even though all five of its pitchers gave up runs.
With the score knotted at two and two on and one out, Grinsell departed. Garcia gave up a walk after DJ Perron hit a three-run home run off him, and Featherston replaced him. Adonis Medina, the ninth batter, smashed a three-run homer to make it 8-2 after another walk and fly out.
Anson Aroz’s leadoff homer and Carter Garate’s RBI single gave the Ducks two runs back in the bottom of the inning.
Featherston surrendered a walk, single, and hit batter to load the bases in the seventh, which allowed Rhode Island (3-1) to score four more runs. After that, URI made it 12–4 with an RBI single, an RBI groundout with a mistake, and another RBI single.
Over 0.2 IP, Featherston gave up five runs on two hits, two walks, and a hit batter.
Jacob Walsh blasted a two-run double to put the tying run in scoring position with one out in the ninth, giving Oregon (3-2) three runs back in the seventh, two in the eighth, and two more in the ninth. Jack Brooks struck out and Drew Smith hit a fly out to left, leaving three of UO’s 14 runners on base when the Ducks had the bases loaded with one out.
After losing three of four to Toledo last weekend, it marks Oregon’s second home loss in five games this season in Quadrant 4.
Joe Sabbath gave up two runs on one hit, three walks, and a hit batter over 1.2 innings while Jeremy Urena gave up four runs on eight hits, two walks, and a hit batter over 5.1 innings.
On Saturday, the teams play a doubleheader that starts at 11 a.m.
