Tyler Baumgartner has a knack for making spectacular diving catches.
With the score tied at three apiece in the bottom of the eighth, LMU had a runner at second base with two outs. Tanner Donnels hit a pitch off Oregon reliever Garrett Cleavinger to right-center field that looked like it would give the Lions the lead. However, Baumgartner laid out to make yet another tremendous catch, which kept the score tied. Oregon would go on to win by a final score of 4-3.
It was the second time this weekend and the third time this season that the Oregon right fielder made a highlight-reel play. Sunday’s catch was perhaps the best of the three.
The scoring started in the third inning. Kevin Minjares started things off with a single up the middle and advanced to second base after Scott Heineman was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up 90 feet after Aaron Payne executed a perfectly placed bunt single to the third base side.
It looked like the Lions would escape with minimal damage when LMU starting pitcher Carlos Fuentes got Baumgartner to hit into a 4-6-3 double play, which plated Oregon’s first run of the day and left Heineman on third with two outs.
With Mitchell Tolman at bat, Heineman took off for home on a straight steal and was called safe on an extremely close play. The pitch beat Heineman to home, but it appeared that the Oregon third baseman was able to get under the tag of LMU catcher Kevin Garcia. Despite arguments from Garcia and LMU head coach Jason Gill, the play stood.
With the bases empty, Tolman tagged the very next pitch from Fuentes over the right-center field fence to put the Ducks up 3-0. The home run was Tolman’s first of the season and Oregon’s second in as many games.
With one straight steal of home under their belts, the Ducks tried their luck again in the top of the fifth.
Baumgartner roped a one-out double into the left-center field gap and advanced to third base on a groundout by Tolman. The Lions elected to intentionally walk Kyle Garlick, bringing up A.J. Balta with runners at the corners and two away. With two strikes on Balta, Baumgartner broke for the plate and LMU pitcher Sean Buckle stepped off the rubber to throw him out at home and squash the Oregon scoring threat.
The Lions knotted the game up in bottom half of the frame with a rally started by a leadoff single by Garcia. After being sacrificed to second base, Garcia came around to score LMU’s first run of the game on a single by their leadoff hitter, David Fletcher. The next batter, Austin Miller, knocked Oregon starting pitcher Jordan Spencer out of the game with an RBI triple to right-center that went all the way to the wall.
With the score 3-2, coach George Horton brought in reliever Trent Paddon to try and preserve the lead. The first batter Paddon faced, David Edwards, hit a ground ball up the middle, which was handled by Minjares for the second out but brought home Miller to tie the score up at 3-3.
Oregon would take the lead in the ninth inning. Austin Grebeck led off with a pinch-hit double and advanced to third on an error by center fielder Miller. Grebeck came in to score what would be the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly by the next batter, J.B. Bryant. Jake Reed got the Lions out in order in the bottom of the ninth inning to earn his third save of the season.
Cleavinger picked up his second win of the season in relief while Buckle was saddled with the loss for LMU. Neither starting pitcher was able to make it through five innings, as Oregon’s Spencer allowed three runs on six hits and two walks in 4.1 innings and LMU’s Fuentes allowed three runs on five hits and two walks in 3.0 innings.
Oregon will take Monday off before hosting its first home game of the season on Tuesday against Portland. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at PK Park.
Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch