Drew Smith lined a one-out single into left to score pinch runner Jax Gimenez to give the Ducks a 3-2 lead in the 7th, breaking up a tense game in the Big Ten Tournament.
Anson Arroz followed with a single through the right side for a 4-2 lead.
Ian Umlandt hit a batter in the third, a Spartan reached on an error and suddenly 12-seed MSU had runners at the corners with just one out. He got Seymour to hit a slow bouncer up the middle, Ryan Cooney underhanding it to Molony for one out, too softly hit for the double play.
Next up was Sam Busch, their most dangerous hitter with 15 home runs. Umlandt fooled him with an off-speed pitch outside, swinging weakly for the strikeout, inning over.
Dominic Hellman led off the Oregon third with a sharp single through the shift, smashed past the diving third baseman.
Michigan State struck for a single run in the first, a sacrifice fly by Busch. Anson Aroz took back the lead with a two-run double in the bottom of the first.
Aroz, locked-in today, smashed a ball past third, nearly a carbon copy of Hellman's rap leadinng off the inning. The Ducks stranded them both, however, still 2-1 going into the 4th.
Umlandt got two flyouts to start the 4th, the second an impressive catch by Drew Smith in the right field corner, ranging into foul ground and hitting the wall to grab a slicing fly. Picot struck out swinging on a low breaking ball, his fourth of the game.
He'd thrown 50 pitches, 32 of them strikes. His solid outing today sets up Grayson Grimsley to take his regular turn on Friday against Nebraska.
In the Oregon 4th Cooney walked and stole second with one out, then Garate walked behind him, bringing up NCAA home run leader Neville.
George Viebrock wouldn't give in to him, throwing two slow, sweeping baseballs before a high fast ball. Neville popped up.
Hellman fouled off several pitches, working Viebrock for a walk to load the bases, two outs, Jacob Walsh up, the Oregon career leader in home runs. Walsh slashed a smooth ground ball to second, the Ducks stranding two more, seven through four innings.
The pride of Sherwood, a left handed red-haired scrapper with a gunslinger mustache, Umlandt battled the leadoff hitter Will Shannon but lost him low on 3-2. He seemed to be laboring a little.
A wild pitch advanced the tying run to second, but he bore down and struck out JT Skololove looking. A foul tip caught catcher Chase Meggars hard in the chest protector, 2-2.
Another full count, Umlandt up to 72 pitches. He popped up Murphy for the second out. Aroz fought off a tough sun to snare a liner from leadoff hitter Ryan McKay.
Umlandt allowed just two hits and a single run, just one hit since the first inning, settling down beautifully.
The afternoon shadows grew tough for the hitters, the ball coming out of the sun through shade. Tyler Horvath came into pitch for State and set down two swinging before Molony flied out to left.
Thirteenth in RPI, the Ducks needed a win today to stay in the sweet spot to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament.
With one out Busch hit a flare that fell in between Molony and Neville. Carter Garate bare handed a bunt, firing a strike to Walsh for the second out. Molony hoovered a bouncer over the mound to retire the side.
Horvath set the Ducks down in order again in the sixth, his second 1-2-3 inning, yelling into his mitt after striking out Garate.
Picot led off the 7th with a double to the centerfield wall, bobbled into three bases by Mason Neville.
Shannon chopped a grounder to third. Garate checked the runner and threw him out. Infield in, Sokolove took a ball and a strike. Cooney picked up a sharp ground ball, went home but his throw was low to Meggars, runner safe, all tied at two.
Sokolove stole second, Meggars throw wide of the bag, Molony making a diving stop to save a base. The Ducks seemed rattled somehow.
Umlandt left for a reliever, two outs and the runner on second belonging to him. The lefthander Santiago Garcia came in.
Umlandt gave the Ducks a quality start, 6.2 innings, one earned run, four hits, five strikeouts, on the hook for the runner at second.
Garcia threw a sweeping curve for strike two, then got help from Aroz, who ran down a slicing fly ball to the warning track, again fighting off the sun. Tie ball game going into the bottom of the seventh, top of the order due up.
Hellman grounded a one-out single up the middle, his second hit of the game to go along with two walks. Walsh quickly behind 0-2, taking a huge cut at a breaking ball for strike one, fouling back the second.
Upstairs for ball one. Walsh fouled back another, and another. A throw over to first. Another foul back. into the empty seats.
A ball low. A ball inside, the 10th pitch of the at bat. Walsh took low for ball four, two on and one out.
Drew Smith barreled a breaking ball into left to score the pinch runner Giminez, and the Ducks regained the lead 3-2, 110 mph off the bat.
After a groundout to second Garcia struck out Busch in the 8th, freezing him with a 12-to-6 breaking ball. He stood there looking like a house beside the side of the road. Garate handled a hot shot to third for third out, L-5.
Mason Neville continued his slump after a sparkling Big Ten season. One for five today, he hasn't hit a home run since May 11.
Seth Mattox pitched the 9th for his 8th save, a flyout, strikeout, and a strikeout.
The Ducks meet Nebraska Friday night at 5 p.m. PT for the opportunity to advance to the tournament semis, that game on the Big Ten Network.