Super Regionals: Oregon vs Kent State (Game 2) Preview

It was a tough loss for the Ducks last night when a rally ended up being a run short in the ninth inning. Despite the 7-6 loss, head coach George Horton hopes his team looks at what’s ahead of them.

“If I know my team right,” Horton said, “they will play harder and better tomorrow.”

Oregon couldn’t take advantage of 11 walks given up by the Kent State pitching staff. It looked like J.J. Altobelli bailed the Ducks out with his last at bat hitting it solidly toward the outfield, but was robbed by the Golden Flashes’ center fielder, Evan Campbell.

“I hit it as good as I could,” Altobelli said. “I was sitting on the fast ball and hit it, but he just made a great play.”

Now we head to game two with Kent State one victory away from Omaha. Both teams’ aces were used in last night’s affair. Tonight’s probable pitching matchup is the Golden Flashes’ Ryan Bores against the Ducks’ Jake Reed.

Bores is a right-handed junior with 9-2 record and 3.29 ERA. He went all nine innings in the game against regional host Purdue, giving up nine hits but holding them to three runs.

Last night may have been a surprise with more offense than expected, but expect the remainder of the series to be the same unless the Ducks’ pitching staff can be little more consistent. Alex Keudell struggled a little bit again this postseason, giving up nine hits and six runs. Reed comes in 11-4 as a starter with a 2.93 ERA.

As long as the Oregon offense continues to keep up the pace, it will still deliver as much drama.

“[Altobelli] put a good swing on it,” said David Starn, last night’s pitcher for Kent State, on the final at-bat of the night. “Luckily Evan was fast enough to catch it. It was a little nerve wracking.”

You aren’t kidding.

Tonight’s game will be at 7:00 p.m. PST at PK Park. Weather expects to be cloudy but no chance of precipitation. Follow the game in a variety of ways listed below.

TV: ESPNU – Adam Amin (play-by-play) & Paul Lo Duca (analyst)
Radio: KUJZ 95.3 FM in Eugene/Springfield: Jerry Allen & Brian Prawitz
Webcast: ESPN3
Audio: O-Zone at www.GoDucks.com
Live Stats: www.NCAA.com
Twitter: @OregonBaseball for in-game updates, stats, etc

Special thanks to GoDucks.com for the quotes and media information.

Brian Spaen is the lead editor for Autzen Zoo, follow the site on Facebook and Twitter. Read about his love for lacrosse at Around the Crease or get to know him more at The World of Santa Destroy.