EUGENE, Ore. – Just as they did three times in the Big West tournament, Cal Poly avoided elimination in the NCAA regionals, defeating No. 1 seed Oregon in a wild game, 10-8.

The win marks the first NCAA playoff victory for the program since 2014, when they hosted a regional at Baggett Stadium.

The Mustangs seem to play their best baseball when facing elimination, and they proved that again when they eliminated the Ducks on their home turf.

Less than 24 hours after scoring just two runs against Arizona, the Mustangs’ offense came out with a vengeance, taking out frustration on the Ducks’ ace, Grayson Grisnell.

Casey Murray Jr. moved up to the cleanup spot and continued to swing a hot bat, going 4-4 with three RBI. Murray Jr. is riding a 17-game hit streak and has multiple hits in his last three games. The senior centerfielder is hitting .444 (12-27) in postseason play this year, dating back to the first game of the Big West tournament in Fullerton.

The offense recorded 11 hits, a balanced effort, as expected with the length of the lineup.

“We got guys one through nine that are able to do damage,” Murray Jr. said.

Despite hitting a towering home run, Murray Jr.’s biggest hit came in the bottom of the seventh inning, when he singled to left field to bring in two runs, tying the game at eight.

Senior designated hitter Cam Hoiland followed with an RBI single of his own, giving the Mustangs a lead that they would not give back.

The game was a roller coaster, with each team leading multiple times throughout the contest. Cal Poly grabbed the lead first on a two-run homer from senior Dylan Kordic. There were eight total home runs in the game, five from the Ducks.

Josh Volmerding got the start in the elimination game and was mostly effective, but got bit by the long-ball, especially in the sixth inning when the Ducks took the lead for the first time.

The Ducks added two more home runs in the seventh off of Josh Morano and extended their lead to three.

Then, as they’ve done all season long, the offense responded. A bases-loaded walk from Alejandro Garza set up Murray Jr. and Hoiland for their heroics. Senior first baseman Zach Daudet added insurance in the eighth with a moonshot over the left-centerfield wall.

Dante Vachini slides into home plate / Jason Fairchild / 247Sports

Coach Larry Lee has talked at length about the toughness and resiliency of his team, and they displayed it once again with their backs against the wall.

“We’ve been resilient the entire year,” Lee said. “…We had a simple message going into the game, and everybody was on board and played extremely well, just proud of the resiliency and toughness of this team.”

Jake Torres, the third and final pitcher for the Mustangs, shut the door on the explosive Ducks’ offense. The lefty pitched 2 ⅓ innings, allowing four baserunners and striking out four, including three in the ninth.

Torres has been used in a Swiss-Army role all season long, usually asked to close games out over multiple innings. Pressure isn’t new to Torres; in fact, he feeds off it.

“I love seeing the fans, and I really kind of use it to my advantage,” Torres said. “[There’s] just a lot of trust between the guys. I’m on the mound, they’re behind me.”

The Mustangs will quickly pivot to their next opponent, the loser of the game between Arizona and Utah Valley, with the first pitch at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Every game going forward is an elimination one for Cal Poly, but knocking off the hosts of the regional is a step towards the goal of keeping their season alive as long as possible.