The final game of Arizona's three-game series against No. 16 Oregon didn't go nearly as well as the first two. The Wildcats struggled on the mound as the Ducks scored 18 runs to come away with one win during their trip to Tucson.

It was a bitter way for Arizona (16-7, 3-3 Pac-12) to end what had been an impressive start to the weekend after it outscored Oregon 20-6 through the first two games. UA finished with 13 runs of its own making Sunday's loss feel like a missed opportunity to make a statement early in the Pac-12 season.

"It definitely stings being the last game, especially knowing we could have maybe swept, but we just gotta focus on the next thing," catcher Daniel Susac said. "Focus on next week and just get past it."

Arizona starting pitcher TJ Nichols (3-1) shined through the first two innings of Sunday's game before giving up a pair of singles in the third. The big damage came in the fourth, however, as the freshman gave up a home run early in the inning before eventually loading the bases forcing the Wildcats to go to reliever Riley Cooper.

The lefty allowed a walk before giving up a double that brought four runs across the plate. Cooper would come out of the game after facing just two batters.

Oregon's offense stayed hot in the fifth inning as the Ducks (12-6, 3-3) brought in five more runs to break the game open as they eventually erased what was a 3-0 lead for the Wildcats early in the game.

The UA bullpen eventually accounted for 13 runs allowed in Sunday's game leading to head coach Jay Johnson second guessing the decision to take Nichols out of the game with two outs in the fourth.

"I think I should've left him in the game based on how the rest of the game played out," Johnson said. "I'll take responsibility for that. There will be some things relative to learning. He's a great competitor, so sometimes he'll try to maybe try harder when he gets some adversity as opposed to just staying with the plan.

"So, we'll work on that and talk about that. He's a 4.0 student and incredibly intelligent, so I know he understands that concept and I think he'll apply that better moving forward."

Arizona's offense was powered mostly by a pair of freshmen on Sunday as Susac opened the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run before designated hitter Jacob Berry continued his strong weekend with a single up the middle that brought in third baseman Nik McClaughry and center fielder Donta' Williams.

Susac added a second home run in the eighth inning to go with two doubles allowing him to finish the game by going 4 for 5 to lead the Wildcats on the day.

"For me it's kind of just knowing I did the right swing not really caring much about the distance just knowing I put a good swing on the ball," he said of his long home runs this season.

Right fielder Ryan Holgate was the other UA player to hit a home run in the game on Sunday as he put a ball on the roof above the Terry Francona Hitting Center in right field at Hi Corbett Field in the fifth inning. He finished the game by going 3 for 5 at the plate with two RBIs in the loss.

UA's offense continued to shine late in the game as the Wildcats scored at least two runs over the final four innings against the Ducks.

The first two games of the series went in favor of Arizona behind strong performances on the mound and a big day at the plate on Saturday. UA set the tone for the weekend with a 5-4 win over the Ducks on Friday night. Starting pitcher Chase Silseth was dominant in what was arguably his best performance of the season.

The newcomer went 6 2/3 innings for the Wildcats with 11 strikeouts. He gave up just three hits during his time on the mound and allowed one run to cross the plate.

"In college baseball the Friday night guy everyone knows you just gotta set the tone," Silseth said of what he called a B-plus performance on Friday night. "... They're fun games or close games like that one, but they don't really stress or put more pressure on me. It's just the experience that I have to know what I need to do and set the tone."

It was the Arizona offense that took center stage on Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats had 16 hits, including three triples, to run away with a 15-2 victory. Nine different UA players contributed with a hit in the win led by Berry who went 4 for 6 in the game with one run and one RBI.

First baseman Branden Boissiere had three hits in the game with four RBIs and two runs.

The Wildcats also received another strong start as junior left-hander Garrett Irvin picked up his first win of the season after giving up just one run in seven innings on the mound. He finished the game with four strikeouts.

UA will now get ready to face in-state rival Arizona State as the teams meet up in Tempe for a three-game series starting Thursday.

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