Oregon takes Game 1 with walk-off hit, snaps Oral Roberts win streak
Oregon Baseball just made history. The Ducks became the first team to come back from an eight-run deficit in a super regional to defeat the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles 9-8. Before Friday’s night contest, teams were 0-96 when trailing an opponent by eight or more runs in a super regional.
The entire night built to one moment. With two runners on and a crowd on the edge of its seat, Drew Cowley drilled a line drive to right field to win the game. After witnessing an 8-0 comeback, the crowd in Eugene, Ore., crowd reacted appropriately.
The Ducks comeback didn’t come all at once. Instead, Oregon chipped away at the Golden Eagles each inning. Oral Roberts first ran up the score in the third inning. Oregon rotated through three freshman pitchers in the inning to no success.
When the dust settled, Oral Roberts held a commanding 8-0 lead. The Ducks fought back with two back-to-back home runs to open up the bottom of the third inning, but that was just a start.
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In the fourth inning, the Ducks kept up the pressure with a Bennett Thompson three-run bomb to left field, cutting Oral Roberts lead to 8-5. Not to be outdone, Drew Smith followed up Thompson’s home run with a dinger to left field. Two runs away from history.
Another Oregon run in the 7th. 8-7. Another Oregon run in the 8th. 8-8. With each score, Ducks fans got louder and louder. The game had the second-most attendance for a game ever at PK Park. Eventually, all of the Golden Eagles’ bending finally led to a break when Cowley brought it home for the Ducks.
The comeback victory not only won Oregon the first game of the Eugene Super Regionals, but handed Oral Roberts its first loss in 21 contests. The Golden Eagles won’t have to wait long to get revenge on the Ducks. The two teams face off in Game 2 of the super regionals at 6 p.m. PT on Saturday.