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In a dramatic opening game of the Eugene Regional, a contentious replay decision in the eighth inning helped Utah Valley clinch a narrow 6-5 victory over Oregon at PK Park on Friday night. The dispute arose after Oregon managed to cut Utah Valley's lead in a play that was later overturned, affecting the final outcome of the game.

Utah Valley, entering the eighth with a three-run cushion, saw Oregon lift a fly ball into left field, allowing Aroz to tag from third. The throw from Utah Valley's left-fielder Jimmy De Anda missed its mark, prompting Aroz, who slid into catcher Mason Strong, to be initially called safe by home plate umpire A.J. Wendel. This reduced Utah Valley’s lead to 6-5 and positioned Molony on second base.

The play was contested by Utah Valley's coach, Nate Rasmussen, who requested a review based on Aroz's contact with Strong. After a review lasting over seven minutes, the umpires ruled Aroz guilty of malicious contact. Consequently, the run was nullified, Aroz was ruled out and ejected, and Molony was sent back to first base. The inning ended without further scoring opportunities for Oregon.

Oregon nearly tied the game in the ninth inning, falling just short on a deep sacrifice fly caught by right-fielder Luke Iverson at the warning track. Reflecting on the overturn, Oregon's coach recounted, “I was taught to play hard. Unfortunately, playing hard was not rewarded tonight by whatever rule was supposedly violated by a player that was playing hard.”

The game saw Utah Valley explode for four runs in the third inning, with Oregon responding with three in their half of the inning. Oregon pulled within a run thanks to a timely line drive over the left-field wall. Utah Valley, however, added two more runs in the seventh, extending their lead and ultimately securing the win.

The crowd was notably enthusiastic, with an announced attendance of 4,293—the fifth-largest in PK Park history. Highlights for Oregon included back-to-back home runs by Smith and Aroz, marking the second time this season Ducks' hitters have achieved such a feat. Reitz also made an impressive showing with a career-high 14 strikeouts, the most by an Oregon pitcher since 2018, and the highest in a postseason game for the Ducks.

Looking ahead, Oregon is set to face Cal Poly at 12:06 p.m. on Saturday in a must-win game to advance. Despite the loss, Oregon's coach expressed confidence, noting the team's resiliency and grit. “They showed resiliency all the way through the end. I think we’re going to play fantastic. I think we’ll play much better and cleaner tomorrow than we did today,” he said, praising the team's effort and determination to bounce back.