In Eugene, Oregon, history was made on the opening day of the college baseball 2023 Super Regionals.
On Friday, the Oregon Ducks completed the biggest comeback in Super Regional history by defeating Oral Roberts 9-8 after falling behind 8-0 in the third inning.
On June 9, 2023, in Eugene, Oregon, during an NCAA college baseball tournament super regional game versus Oral Roberts, Oregon’s Drew Cowley, centre, is pursued by teammates after scoring the game-winning run. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
Shortstop in Oregon In the ninth inning, Drew Cowley delivered the game-winning walk-off single, sparking a riotous celebration in Eugene.
Oregon would qualify for the College World Series for the first time since 1954 with a victory on Saturday.
Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski reportedly said, “This team’s got a toughness to them that I’ve never seen before — they won’t quit.” “As frustrated as they were in the third inning, they worked hard to develop this thing so that a day like this would occur with this many people present and the atmosphere.
On Friday, June 9, 2023, in Eugene, Oregon, fans of Oregon applaud during the ninth inning of the team’s NCAA college baseball tournament super regional game versus Oral Roberts. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
“To really get punched in the face at the beginning of this game, I don’t think I’d ever imagine another team being able to rebound from that, the disappointment of what probably our guys were feeling at that time and yet they did.”
Before Oregon began to reduce the lead, Oral Roberts scored eight runs in the third inning.
After the third inning barrage, the Oregon pitching staff was able to hold Oral Roberts scoreless as the Ducks tied the game in the eighth inning.
On Friday, June 9, 2023, in Eugene, Oregon, during the team’s NCAA college baseball tournament super regional game, Drew Smith of Oregon celebrates after hitting a solo home run. (Amanda Loman/AP Photo)
Cowley stated, “We discuss playing each inning at a time and not playing the score. “Settle everyone down in the dugout and state clearly that we are playing each inning, not the score. We’re trying to gain momentum, so keep working hard and making progress. We remain in the contest regardless of the outcome.
Oral Roberts’ 21-game winning streak was abruptly ended in historic fashion, and the team will now try to bounce back in Game 2 on Saturday.
First baseman Jake McMurray of ORU commented, “Tomorrow’s a new day,” as reported by The Oregonian. They still need to defeat us once more, therefore we still need to be able to win two games over the weekend. We should probably flush this one out and pick it up again tomorrow, in my opinion.
