In his first Pac-12 start of the season, senior Brando Tessar quickly proved to head coach George Horton why he should be the Sunday starter. Tessar led the Oregon baseball team (34-13, 13-8 Pac-12) to a 5-1 win over Arizona (18-28, 7-17) , completing the series sweep.
“He was awesome today,” head coach George Horton said. “Each and every start that he’s had, especially the last three, has been more spectacular in my mind. …Today he was borderline dominating.”
The first run of the game came in the sixth when, with nobody out, Oregon’s Mitchell Tolman launched a solo home run on top of the batting cage in right field. The shot propelled the Ducks for the rest of the game.
“It was just Ducks picking up Ducks,” Tessar said. “That’s what this team’s about.”
The solo home run followed a clutch moment by Tessar when the Ducks needed him the most. With nobody out and runners on first and third, Tessar struck out the first, second and third hitters in the Arizona lineup to end the inning.
“I told myself that I had to bear down and get it done right there,” Tessar said. “I was pretty jacked up and the team was pretty pumped up when I came in (the dugout).”
Tessar went seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out six in his fourth win of the season. His scoreless-innings steak is now at 22.1 (21.0 as a starter) and his earned run average dropped from 2.61 to 2.13, the second lowest on the team only behind the injured Matt Krook (1.79).
The game was a pitchers duel between Tessar and Arizona starter Tyger Talley. Talley kept the Oregon bats in check and also caused the Ducks to leave six runners on base in his seven innings of work — his lone mistake was to Tolman in the sixth. Talley gave up five hits and walked two while striking out five.
In the top of the eighth, the Wildcats were just inches away from changing the momentum of this game. With one one and the bases loaded, relief pitcher Jordan Spencer had a full count to Trent Gilbert. Gilbert hit a ball hard down the right field line, just inches foul.
“My rear end tightened up a little bit,” Horton said. “I was hoping it was hooking foul, and it did.”
Gilbert later popped out to Tolman in foul territory. Willie Calhoun followed suit and popped out to Aaron Payne in foul territory to end the inning.
Shaun Chase put the game away in the bottom of the eighth. Steven Packard was intentionally walked to load the bases in front of Chase, the Pac-12 leader in home runs. Whether it was to have a force at the plate or set-up the double play, it didn’t work. Chase connected for his third home run of the series in grand fashion.
“It’s always a shot in the stomach when someone gets intentionally walked in front of you,” Chase said. “I just wanted elevation to get the ball up to score at least one run and luckily it went over the fence.”
The Ducks allowed a run in the ninth en route to their 5-1 win over the Wildcats.
The Ducks play Tuesday against Oregon State at 6 p.m. at PK Park.
Noteworthy:
– The Ducks are 6-0 when Tessar is on the mound to start the game.
– Chase’s grand slam was his eighth home run on the season, which leads the Pac-12.
– Chase stole his first career base on a straight steal to second. He was “a little bit” surprised to get the sign.
“That was scary,” Chase said. “But hey, I got in safe. Can’t argue about that.”
Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3