Ducks Digest

Oregon Baseball Outlasts No. 14 UC Santa Barbara 2-1

The Ducks are headed back to a regional final after upending host UC Santa Barbara Saturday night. Oregon baseball is looking to return to a super regional for the second straight year.

Kaleb Henry

May 31, 2024; Santa Barbara, CA, USA; Oregon outfielder Bryce Boettcher (28) is greeted by third base coach Marcus Hinkle (29) after hitting a solo home run in top of the eleventh inning of an NCAA Baseball Santa Barbara Regional against the San Diego at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
May 31, 2024; Santa Barbara, CA, USA; Oregon outfielder Bryce Boettcher (28) is greeted by third base coach Marcus Hinkle (29) after hitting a solo home run in top of the eleventh inning of an NCAA Baseball Santa Barbara Regional against the San Diego at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon baseball is one win away from a super regional.

The Ducks upended UC Santa Barbara 2-1 Saturday evening. UO improves to 39-18 and stays unblemished in the Santa Barbara Regional, while UCSB falls 43-13 and heads to an elimination game Sunday afternoon.

“Really hard-fought baseball game,” UO coach Mark Wasikowski said. “Coach Checketts is a tremendous baseball coach, and his team is well-prepared. It was a good one to be able to come out on top of tonight. I was proud of the resiliency and toughness our club showed again.”

Both teams threatened through six innings but neither could push across a run.

The Gauchos were feet away from getting on the board in the sixth inning when Jessada Brown attempted to steal home. Grayson Grinsell was alert and stepped off the rubber before firing a strike to Chase Meggers to get the out and end the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Justin Cassella knocked a leadoff single. He promptly stole second and scored on a Carter Garate base hit.

Then in the eighth inning, Jack Brooks struck a double before advancing to third on a wild pitch. Drew Smith hit a chopper just over the mound, forcing the Gaucho short stop to throw to first as Brooks strode across the plate.

But UCSB wasn't going out quietly. After Ryan Featherston hit the leadoff batter. A double put runners at second and third with no outs. After a strikeout, Featherston loaded the bases on a four-pitch walk.

After getting the second out with a strikeout, Feathertson hit another batter, bringing in a Gaucho run. The very next pitch induced a slow roller to Garate at third base who simply stepped on the bag to end the game.

Grinsell got credit for the win, tossing 7.0 scoreless innings. He allowed just three hits, striking out nine. His 114 pitches are a career-high.

“Being in a place like (Vanderbilt a year ago),” Grinsell said, “it gives you a ton of experience and a ton of perspective on where you’re at, to not let the moment get too big and just kind of enjoy it.”

Featherston earned a save on the night, pitching the final 2.0 innings and striking out three.

The Ducks collected eight hits, led by a 3-for-4 effort from Meggers. Garate also put together a multi-hit effort.

UCSB will face San Diego Sunday at 12 p.m. PDT. The Toreros eliminated Fresno State 7-5 earlier Saturday. Oregon awaits the winner of that game at 6 p.m. CDT. If the Ducks win, they head to their second straight super regional while a loss would set up a winner-take-all game Monday.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans.He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team.

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