TUCSON, AZ – After winning one of their biggest series of the season, Arizona Baseball (35-21, 16-14) got swept by Oregon to end the regular season.
Entering this series fresh off of a huge series win over then No. 2 ranked Oregon State, Arizona Baseball returned to action to close out the regular season against the Oregon Ducks.
Just as we’ve seen several times this season, Arizona was once again looked like the inconsistent team we’ve grown accustomed to this season, especially as the Wildcats looked outmatched by the Ducks in all three games.
Doomed by its inconsistent pitching, Arizona was inconsistent from the plate as well, driving in just 10 runs in all three games as the Wildcats were swept by the Ducks.
Looking for consistency this weekend, Arizona Baseball was swept by Oregon, and their postseason hopes could be in jeopardy.
Game 1:
Turning to TJ Nichols in game one, the Wildcats’ hurler would pitch just three innings before being replaced by Eric Orloff. Nichols would have a bit of a rough day in this one, surrendering seven runs on seven hits.
Overall, even though Arizona would use a bevy of pitchers, it wasn’t a day to remember for the Cats as the Ducks’ offense had their way, earning 11 hits and 10 runs.
Now, despite Arizona taking a 1-0 lead early on, the offense would sputter here, plating just four runs on 12 hits.
The big story was the missed opportunities by the Wildcats as Arizona would leave 11 men on base en route to falling 10-4 to Oregon in game one.
Game 2:
Hoping to turn things around in game two, Arizona would use Garrett Irvin, and from the start Gary was masterful. Stifling Oregon’s hitters, he would run into a little trouble early on, but luckily, he would settle in nicely, lasting seven innings as he surrendered three runs (two earned) on eight hits while striking out three.
Unfortunately, despite the solid outing from Gary, he would not the earn win in this one. He would be replaced by Trevor Long who gave up the go-ahead run in his limited action, earning his third loss of the season.
Offensively, Arizona wouldn’t have much brewing as the Wildcats were only able to manage just three runs on six hits.
Chase Davis would lead the way, going 2-3 from the dish with one RBI, but overall, it wasn’t enough as Arizona fell in game two by a 4-3 final.
Game 3:
Looking to salvage the series in game three, the Wildcats would turn to Anthony Susac. Once again starting slow, Anthony would get roughed up early as he surrendered three runs on five hits in one-and-two-thirds innings pitched.
Arizona would once again use a bevy of pitchers in this one as they held the Ducks to five runs on 11 hits. However, despite the admirable outing, it wasn’t enough for Arizona to win this one.
The Cats fell behind early, and Arizona was not able to recover offensively, plating just three runs on six hits, leaving six runners on base.
Tommy Splaine would be the Wildcats’ biggest threat offensively as he went an impressive 3-4 from the plate with two RBIs, but overall, it wasn’t enough again as Arizona fell in game three by a 5-3 final.
Where does Arizona Baseball go from here?
With the sweep, Arizona now falls to 35-21 (16-14) on the year and will return to action in the Pac-12 Tournament when they take on Oregon yet again. First pitch is set for 9:00 AM on Wednesday in Scottsdale.