No. 10 Oregon fell to No. 13 UCLA 1-0 Friday night at PK Park in the first of a three game series. With the loss Oregon falls to 28-9 overall, 12-4 in the Pac-12, still ahead of UCLA in the standings.
Oregon got a solid seven innings behind starter Tommy Thorpe, who gave up a run on three hits with five K’s, but the offense wasn’t there. Both teams only managed four hits but UCLA starter Adam Plutko proved to be the more stingy pitcher, throwing a no-hitter through the first five innings. It was the only game all season where the Ducks failed to score a run.
“He threw 105 pitches and 82 were fastballs,” Ryon Healy said of Plutko’s outing. “We weren’t doing a good enough job of lining up his fastball and putting good swings on it. We hit the ball hard right at people. That’s the game of baseball.”
Oregon’s best opportunity to get on the board came in the sixth inning when J.J. Altobelli led off with a single to right field to break up the would-be no-hitter. Brett Thomas grounded out followed by Aaron Payne going down swinging. With two outs and a man on first, Healy took the first pitch to shallow center field. Altobelli advanced to third base and Connor Tolman came to the plate with a chance to load the bases with reigning Pac-12 player of the week Scott Heineman on deck.
Tolman battled to a full count before fouling a pitch toward the visitors dugout. A UCLA third baseman sprinted to the dugout to make a play on the ball, falling down the stairs of the dugout and remarkably snagging the ball in the process to end the inning.
Oregon again reached base in the seventh when Tyler Baumgartner hit the gap in center field, but neither Josh Graham or Hofmann were able to drive him in, both striking out.
“They put some bunts down and we didn’t,” head coach George Horton said. “Our bunting game was not there. We didn’t do many things in character. We didn’t throw enough strikes and essentially a lead of walk is what beats us.”
After averaging over seven runs per game in their last nine contests, the Ducks fell victim to old habits, struggling to hit the ball. Often times their lack of offensive prowess was overshadowed by their uncanny ability to take advantage, and sometimes force, infield mistakes leading to scoring opportunities. That was not the case Friday, with UCLA playing disciplined baseball, refusing to help the Ducks.
Turning Point. UCLA center fielder Brian Carroll led off the inning with single then stole second with Kevin Kramer at the plate. Kramer bunted and Thorpe failed to field the ball, allowing Kramer to reach first base while Carroll headed to third. With corner bases and no outs Pat Valaika stepped to the plate. Valaika grounded out into a double play but with a runner on third and no outs, the Ducks were unable to stop Carroll from scoring.
Oregon had one last chance in the bottom of the ninth. Healy led things off with a single to right center field. Mitchell Tolman advanced Healy on a sacrifice bunt, bringing Heineman to the plate, who struck out swinging on a 1-2 count. Baumgartner went to the plate with two outs, grounding out to end the game.
“I was very confident (that I was going to score),” Healy said of reaching base in the ninth inning. “There was no doubt in my mind that the guys behind me were going to bring me in, especially when Mitchell Tolman got that bunt down. I was ready to score. We saw a couple tough at bats, they had a really good pitcher on the mound. You got to tip your hat at that.”
On the Horizon. Oregon will look for redemption Saturday with another 7p.m. start. Impressive freshman Cole Irvin will take the mound.