EUGENE, Ore. — Columbia's offense continued to show plenty of firepower Friday, but No. 11 Oregon proved too much to handle in a 20-11 loss at PK Park. The Lions racked up 13 hits, including three home runs, while scoring in four different innings.
Jack Kail led the Lions with a 3-for-4 day, driving in four runs and scoring twice, and was a triple shy of the cycle. Estabrook finished 2-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI, while Hunter Snyder was 3-for-3 with a walk.
After a scoreless first, Columbia struck in the second inning with a three-run rally. Kail put the Lions on the board with a two-run homer, and Ben Fishel added an RBI double to make it 3-0.
The Ducks (7-2) answered with seven runs in the bottom of the frame, highlighted by a Dominic Hellman grand slam.
After Oregon and Columbia traded runs in the bottom of the third and top of the fourth, the Ducks tacked on a five-spot in the fifth, but the Lions did not go down without a fight. In the sixth, Kail doubled to plate Skye Selinsky, and Owen Estabrook drilled Columbia's second home run of the game, cutting the Oregon lead to 12-5.
The Ducks added a pair on insurance runs in the bottom of the frame before the Lions made one last push in the seventh with a four-run outburst. Kail delivered a sac fly, and Estabrook belted a three-run shot to the opposite field to pull Columbia within four. However, Oregon's offense put four runs of their own after the seventh-inning stretch and capped the scoring with a run off a sac fly in the eighth.
Grayson Grinell picked up the win for the Ducks to even his record at 1-1 despite allowing six earned runs through 5.1 innings. First-year Alex Sotiropoulos earned his first collegiate start. He lasted two innings and struck out three, but took the loss to fall to 1-1 on the year.
Columbia (1-3) will look to rebound against the Ducks on Saturday when the teams meet for a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is set for 2 p.m. ET and can be seen on B1G+.