For the second time in as many weekends, Oregon baseball suffered a brutal home loss that will have lasting implications on the team’s resume when the postseason arrives.
Starter Grayson Grinsell allowed four runs on six hits and one walk and struck out four over 5.1 innings and relievers Santiago Garcia and Ryan Featherston combined to allow seven more runs as the No. 11 Ducks lost 12-11 to Rhode Island Friday afternoon at PK Park.
Oregon led 2-1 through five innings, then Rhode Island took control with a seven-run sixth and was able to hang on despite all five of its pitchers allowing runs.
Grinsell left with the score tied at 2 and two on and one out. DJ Perron hit a three-run home run off Garcia, who then issued a walk and got relieved by Featherston. After another walk and fly out, No. 9 hitter Adonis Medina hit a three-run homer to make it 8-2.
The Ducks got two back in the bottom of the inning on a leadoff homer from Anson Aroz and RBI single by Carter Garate.
Rhode Island (3-1) plated four more in the seventh as Featherston allowed a walk, single and hit batter to load the bases. URI followed with an RBI single, RBI groundout with an error and another RBI single to make it 12-4.
Featherston allowed five runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter over 0.2 IP.
Oregon (3-2) got three back in the seventh, two in the eighth and two more in the ninth when Jacob Walsh hit a two-run double to put the tying run in scoring position with one out. The Ducks had the bases loaded with one out, but Jack Brooks struck out and Drew Smith hit a fly out to left to leave three of UO’s 14 runners on base.
It is the second Quadrant 4 home loss in five games this season for Oregon, which took three of four against Toledo last weekend.
Jeremy Urena allowed four runs on eight hits, two walks and a hit batter over 5.1 IP and Joe Sabbath allowed two runs on one hit, three walks and a hit batter over 1.2 IP for the save for Rhode Island.
The teams play a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday.