Ryan Hambright Brings Offense in Botton of Lineup
By Brian Spaen
Despite giving up 10 runs in the first two games of the Eugene regional, Oregon has taken both and has the opportunity to close things out later today when they face a rematch between either Austin Peay or Cal State Fullerton.
What makes up for the sometimes inconsistent pitching has been an offensive threat that isn’t coming from the top of the lineup. Ryon Healy, Aaron Jones, or Kyle Garlick has had the best offense production in the previous two days of the regional.
It’s been the Ducks’ third baseman, Ryan Hambright. Out of his seven at-bats, he’s hit the ball six times, scored twice, has knocked in an RBI, and has left nobody on base.
Hambright was the key for the earlier runs against the Governors, setting up Garlick and himself to be in scoring position in the second inning (Garlick was batted in). He was the leadoff hitter for three innings, in the fourth and the sixth inning he would end up scoring on two errors by opposing pitcher Zach Toney.
In last night’s game, Hambright brought in Garlick for the Ducks’ fourth and final run in the first inning. After Cal State Fullerton made it a 6-5 game in the top of the fifth, Hambright drew a walk in the bottom of the frame, later advancing to third on a wild pitch. J.J. Altobelli unfortunately ended the scoring opportunity by grounding it to second base.
The only time Hambright hasn’t delivered was in the third inning of the second game when he grounded out to first base in a 1-2-3 inning for the Ducks.
Whether they play the Titans or the Governors in Game 6 later tonight, Hambright has the big momentum that these other teams may not notice.
EUGENE REGIONAL, DAY 3
- 12:00 p.m. PST – GAME 5: (4)Austin Peay (1-1) vs (2)Cal State Fullerton (1-1) – Watch Live*
- 4:00 p.m. PST – GAME 6: Game 5 Winner @ (1)Oregon (2-0) – Watch Live*
*Link available at start time.
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.