EUGENE, Ore. – Utah rallied from an early deficit, but Oregon countered with the final five runs of the ballgame as the Utes fell by a 7-2 score on Sunday, closing the teams' three-game series at PK Park.
Landon Frei went 3-for-3 on the day with two walks and a run scored.
Matt Richardson had a pair of hits and both
TJ Clarkson (17 games) and
Kai Roberts (15 games) extended their respective reached base streaks.
Oregon was out in front first, tallying an RBI ground out and a single to drive in a run in the second inning.
After putting runners in scoring position in the first two innings but unable to capitalize, Utah finally got on the scoreboard in the third frame. A leadoff single for Frei and wild pitch put Frei in scoring position. Then,
Chase Anderson dropped a single into center field and
Britt Graham blooped a base hit to left center, scoring Frei. It marked Graham's first RBI as a Ute.
In the fourth Utah sent seven men to bat, and leveled the score at two-all when Anderson drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Roberts.
But Oregon countered in the bottom half, using a leadoff homer from Anthony Hall to pull back in front, 3-2. Tanner Smith added a two-run long ball later in the frame, albeit nearly robbed by
Jackson Clemett at the right field wall in front of the Oregon bullpen. The Ducks would add another run in both the fifth and seventh frames to swell the lead to 7-2, ultimately standing as the final score of the ballgame.
Utah (11-7-1, 2-4 Pac-12) now returns to Salt Lake City to begin a six-game homestand at Smith's Ballpark. The Utes begin the stretch on Tuesday, March 22 in a 6 p.m. game vs. Northern Colorado.
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