The Oregon Ducks saw their baseball season come to a heartbreaking end on Sunday Night against Texas in the Austin Super Regional. The Ducks got off to a rocky start, falling behind 4-0 in the first two innings before the comeback started. Oregon rallied while getting a stellar outing by Tanner Bradley to take the lead in the bottom of the 7th inning. The lead was then squandered by the Ducks, and the offense ran out of gas, ending the season.
Looking back on the game, it'll be tough for Oregon fans to get over this loss given how close the Ducks were to forcing a Game 3. Fans will also look back at several decisions Mark Wasikowski made, and wonder what could've happened if he managed a different game.
The 3 questionable Mark Wasikowski decisions that ended Oregon's season
Bunting Drew Smith in the 5th inning
The Oregon offense was carried by Drew Smith early, who doubled twice in his first two at-bats of the game. Smith's dominance made it even more exciting when he came to the plate with two on and none out while the Ducks trailed by a run. When Smith squared to bunt, it appeared that he was following the same slash strategy that Ryan Cooney deployed to line a single to centerfield.
Instead, Oregon had Drew Smith bunt, which worked as it advanced the runner, but even the broadcast booth was stunned by the decision. In a way, the bunt worked as Oregon scored the tying run, but it would've likely scored either way as Brayden Jaksa walked before Burke-Lee Mabeus grounded out to score the run.
In the moment, it appeared that Oregon was playing for just one run, and in the 5th inning against a lineup as talented as Texas' it felt like the wrong decision. If Smith came through with a hit once again, the Ducks could've blown the game open, but in the end Oregon fans will never know.
Pulling Toby Twist
When Tanner Bradley's stellar night came to an end, Mark Wasikowski had to try to piece together the final two innings with a 1 run lead. Toby Twist was the next pitcher he called on, and it looked to be a great decision. Twist quickly recorded two groundouts, but he walked the 3rd batter he faced. Out of nowhere, the Ducks decided to bring in Devin Bell just 8 pitches into Twist's outing to bring in Devin Bell to try and record the 4 out save.
The decision felt forced, but it also didn't make a ton of sense to bring in the right handed Bell to face the lefty rather than leaving in the left handed Twist. Twist likely should've been given the chance to face the lefty at minimum, as he only made one mistake with a walk.
Not giving Devin Bell a clean inning
Devin Bell came in to relieve Twist, and fans were quickly given Big Ten Tournament flashbacks as Bell hit the first batter he faced. An infield single followed before Texas drove in a pair to flip the score in the Longhorns favor, and it ended up flipping the game.
While Bell didn't have his best stuff, it's also fair to point out that it would've made more sense to let him settle into the game with a clean inning. Bell looked far more comfortable in the 9th inning, and it probably would've been easier had he either started in the 8th inning or been held for the 9th inning.
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