Charles Fischer

11-5 Ducks after eight innings, as Ian Umlandt gives up some hits, but keeps them scoreless for the inning. Anson Aroz hits a homer to give Oregon a run to extend the lead over Michigan State!

10-5 Ducks after seven innings, Ian Umlandt comes in and gives up a couple of hits and a run to Michigan State. Burke-Lee Mabeus hits a slow-roller to the shortstop, and beats the throw to first base for the infield single. Then he steals second, and Ryan Cooney hits a sacrifice fly to right field to move Mabeus to third base. Carter Garate then does a perfect sacrifice bunt down the first-base line to score Mabeus!

9-4 Ducks after six innings, as Collin Clarke returned and held Michigan State scoreless again. He is up to 95 pitches, so while I assume this is the extent of his arm--he IS still looking good. Jacob Walsh splashed a home run in the river behind the Spartan Park to add another for Oregon!

8-4 Ducks after five innings, as Collin Clarke looks confident putting down the Spartan side. He has 79 pitches, and I wonder if he will come out for the sixth? I say...yes, to go with what you know versus the unknown. Ryan Cooney kept his hot hitting streak going with a double that skids weirdly on a hill this park has in front of the fence? Odd...but it put him on second, as Mason Neville comes up and hits his Nation-Leading 22nd home run of the year that scores he and Cooney.

6-4 Ducks after four innings. You never know...bringing a pitcher back, but Clarke kept the Spartans scoreless for this inning, and he could go longer into the game. Ryan Cooney hit the first pitch for a line drive into shallow left field. Next Oregon executed a perfect hit-and-run with Carter Garate line driving a single to shallow right field, while Cooney jets to third base from first. Against a new pitcher, Mason Neville hits a pud-hit to the pitcher...who over throws first and scored Cooney. Dominic Hellman grounds out, but scores Garate. We had more action--but left bases-loaded stranded...

4-4 after three innings. Crap…they are hitting Clarke well.

4-2 Ducks after two innings, as Clarke walked, gave up a hit, and then a triple to score two. Gotta keep scoring!

4-0 Ducks after the first inning! Holy crap...what a difference a pitcher makes, as yesterday--the Michigan State pitcher was simply stunning. Today's starter has an ERA at nearly 6.00, and there is a reason as Oregon is beating him immediately. Our Beloved Ducks have more hits in the first inning today, than the entire game yesterday, and it gives Clarke some breathing room. Mason Neville walked, and the Dominic Hellman hit a double, so we have runners on second and third...in only two batters! Drew Smith then hits a line drive between the outfielders to score Neville,...and then Smith steals second base! Anson Aroz hits a sacrifice fly to score Hellman, and later Smith steals third base. Maddox Molony walks, and Burke-Lee Mabeus hits a slow dribbler in the infield that takes too much time for the Spartan third baseman to scoop it up and fire to 1st Base in time. Meanwhile...Drew Smith scores from third while this happens. Then Ryan Cooney nails a pitch that would have gone into the right field corner, but it hit the first-base ump and rolled into the outfield. No matter as Molony scored regardless. What a fantastic start!

Yep, on a usual day, giving up one earned run, and one unearned run due to a fielding error would not be a losing effort—with this offense against most pitchers.

Ducks lose 2-0, as the MSU pitcher had the game of his career going all nine innings. There is no rest for us, as we will get everyone’s best shot.

2-0 Michigan State after seven innings. Grinsell is at 92 pitches, and trust him more than a reliever. Problem is, their pitcher is untouchable, and he only has 72 pitches. he could go all nine innings, while Oregon is running out of outs!

2-0 Michigan State after six innings. Grinsell has 79 pitches, so I think he’ll be on the mound for the seventh.

2-0 Michigan State after five innings, as they hit a line-drive dinger.

1-0 Michigan State after four innings. A great pick-off by Grayson Grinsell again!

1-0 Michigan State after three innings. I am having spammer problems on my desktop, so I will be posting from my mobile phone, and will be unable to provide the usual items I’ve done before.

1-0 Michigan State after two innings as Anson Aroz dropped a fly-ball as he was running to get it, and thus a runner scored on it. A great throw to third base to pick off the runner trying to extend his bases...but the score occurred before. We have some puzzling defensive lineup changes, as Anson Aroz moves to center field, and Mason Neville is the Designated Hitter. Dominic Hellman is playing first base, which I expected to see next year, and they moved Jacob Walsh to left field? I do not get this at all...Waz has a great reason, but I be darned if I can figure it out.

0-0 after one inning as it appears the umpire behind the plate is not giving the outside edge to the pitchers. Michigan State's lefty is tough, and our batters are finding that the ball does not carry as far in their park. (Heavy, cold air?) Not only is Oregon's Grayson Grinsell on point, but he is SO GOOD at pick-off moves at first and second base.

Oregon's RPI has climbed to No. 27, the best all season. Even with that...the Ducks are a Regional No. 2 seed and projected to go to Corvallis--again. Our Quad 1 wins are great, but our Quad 2 & 3 losses are not. A No. 2 Regional seed means that Oregon is NOT in the top 16 in the nation? I hope this lights a fire under the team to go on a winning streak that makes a Regional hosting impossible to deny. PK Park Needs to Host!

I think that is an excellent observation, as an ERA won't always tell the full story. While it is 2.51....if he pitches as he did against those aforementioned two teams--it would help offset the home field advantage!

🤮 "I never said I was noble..."

It is incredible to think of how the bullpen only gave up two runs during the Oregon State series, when there were games in the season where the bullpen gave up more than that in one inning!

My Duck-Buddies...our beloved Diamond Ducks are at a major crossroads in the season, and the next three weeks will be highly entertaining, as well as nail-biting time. Coach Waz has said all season that we have much more upside, and yours-truly has written the same. For the four games against No. 7 Beavis...everybody, and especially the team saw that upside. When they pitch like that? Oregon can play with anyone, as we have great fielding, great hitting, but our pitching has been "uneven" prior to the Oregon State series. This team has been inconsistent this season losing a half-dozen games that they should NOT have lost; will they return to that lower level, or continue playing as they did against the Beavers? I would like to think the latter because the rewards are right in front of them. With 11 games left--if the Ducks win say, nine of them? Oregon has a real shot at hosting a regional. But if they do better AND win the B1G Tournament? They have a shot at hosting a Super-Regional...and it not like they have to maintain form for next two months. Nope, the next couple of weeks decide the season... We have three at Michigan State, two mid-weeks against St. Marys, host the Bastard-Huskies next weekend, and then travel to Iowa City to play the Hawkeyes. (Then the B1G Tournament) Can our guys get over the mental hump to win the B1G and get NCAA recognition? Jason Reitz As always, this comes down to pitching, and we have been fortunate to have a couple of pitchers get over slump and return to form in time for the UCLA and the Oregon State series. We have a few others who need to return to form, (I'm looking at YOU, Will Sanford) as we need all-hands-on-deck for this stretch run. I like how our pitching coach "Hawk," (Blake Hawksworth) has really figured out our pitchers and knows when to pull them or let them continue. Recent examples were with Jason Reitz and Will Sanford, as both ran into trouble in an inning,....but would the return for the next inning? They both did, and in the case of Reitz, he got over his issues in the prior inning and pitched well for 2.3 more innings which meant SO MUCH in the game. But Sanford returned, walked a couple guys and still showed the lack of control of his pitches, and thus got pulled. In fact Hawk will pull pitchers right away if he does not like what he sees. Dream-on Beavis! (Ryan Cooney gets a double-play!) In the Tuesday night game in Corvallis--the Ducks went through SEVEN pitchers, as Hawk was looking for who was good on that evening. Santiago Garcia has been superb as a closer in other games, but came out flat in Corvallis, and thus was pulled immediately for Seth Mattox who closed out the game. Heck, Cole Stokes was originally brought in to close the game...and he looked shaky, thus the Garcia entrance. Hawk knows his pitchers, and a big element in all this is that Oregon could not do these quick replacements last year, because we did not have enough healthy pitchers in 2024. Waz went out with some NIL money got a boatload of pitchers, and it is paying off. The Ducks have had some GREAT infields since bringing back Baseball in 2009, but I believe this infield is the best I've seen. What do you think about all these points I've brought up?

Interesting discussion topic, as it would be COOL for both to host Regionals. I WANT Oregon State to win the rest of their games, as I want Oregon to accomplish the same. It would bring more honor to the Ducks, and how the seeding would materialize? Too hard to figure, and too early. I'm thinking about starting another thread about Oregon Baseball, as I have some thoughts going forward.. We'll have runs coming and going....

Oh this is going to be JUICY with the local affiliates, ScoopDuck and Duck Sports Authority, as both forums have guys who dictate who-can-say-what, and the clash of when those two communities get together?