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EUGENE, Ore. — Chip Hale seemed more relieved than excited after ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ defeated Cal Poly in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament’s Eugene Regional on Friday.

It was an understandable reaction: The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ were 0-3 in regional openers under Hale before edging the Mustangs 3-2 at Oregon’s PK Park.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ (40-18) had to hang on at the end after managing only two hits, failing to score after the second inning and allowing Cal Poly (41-18) to creep within a run.

“We got the win, and that’s all that matters,â€� said Hale, who has guided the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ to 40 victories for the first time in his four seasons.

“We weren’t very happy with our offense, but it was a fantastic start by Kram (Owen Kramkowski).

“We’re going to have to win games like that in the postseason. We did it over at Globe Life Field (in the Big 12 Tournament) and again today.�

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s two hits tied its second-lowest total of the season. The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ had just six hits in a 2-1, come-from-behind win over TCU last Saturday in the Big 12 championship game. They had been 0-7 when totaling five or fewer hits before Friday.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ advances to a winners’ bracket matchup vs. Utah Valley, which stunned No. 12 national seed Oregon 6-5 in the second game Friday.

Cal Poly right-hander Griffin Naess kept ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s hitters off-balance with a variety of breaking pitches. Naess at one point retired 13 batters in a row. He logged only five strikeouts but induced a lot of soft contact with a curveball and changeup that were both below 80 mph. His fastball rarely, if ever, touched 90.

“We’ll get a game plan for the pitcher tomorrow, whoever it is, and we’ll do the best we can,� Hale said. “I trust these guys. Their swings are good. It’s not mechanical. The pitches that he was throwing were very difficult. We were off. We were just off-kilter.�

Kramkowski matched Naess with seven stellar innings, allowing one run while walking only one batter and striking out eight. Kramkowski scattered eight hits in authoring his second consecutive quality start. He pitched out of trouble multiple times, limiting the Mustangs to 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m going into it any differently (with runners on), but maybe being more conscience that I have to get this guy out,� Kramkowski said. “I feel like I really just lock my stuff in and focus on the task at hand and just kind of slow the game down when I get guys on because that’s the only way I’ll get out of it.�

After Garrett Hicks yielded a run in the eighth, Tony Pluta came on in the ninth and notched his 13th save, tying Jason Stoffel for the UA single-season record. Pluta has converted 13 of 14 save opportunities and hasn’t allowed a run since April 1.

“The second we hear his walkout song,� Kramkowski said, “it gets everyone going and the game feels over at that point.�

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥â€™s only two hits came in back-to-back at-bats in the bottom of the second inning.

After Andrew Cain drew a two-out walk, Tommy Splaine drove him in with a triple to right-center. Cal Poly center fielder Casey Murray Jr. tried to make a sliding catch on Splaine’s tailing line drive, but it deflected off his body toward the wall.

With Splaine on third, Easton Breyfogle launched a 1-1 pitch from Naess over the wall in right-center for a two-run homer. It was the sophomore’s fifth home run of the season.

“Our whole approach was trying to see him up,� Breyfogle said. “He had a lot of stuff that would get us to chase low. I saw a changeup early in the count, and I was able to stay through it and went with it. I think throughout the game we kind of forgot what our plan was and didn’t execute it well in the (later innings).�

Cal Poly finally broke through against Kramkowski in the sixth. Murray led off with a double to right field, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Dylan Kordic’s shift-beating single.

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the seventh via walks drawn by Garen Caulfield and Cain. But Splaine grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.

Hicks relieved Kramkowski in the eighth and surrendered a one-out solo home run to Cam Hoiland. Hicks retired the next two betters to set up Pluta for the save.

Pluta yielded a leadoff single to Dante Vachini, then struck out Zach Daudet. Ryan Fenn then hit a grounder to third baseman Maddox Mihalakis, who initiated a game-ending 5-4-3 double play.

Mihalakis made three standout plays, including a barehanded grab when Hale was doing his in-game TV interview. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ did not commit an error for the fourth straight game.

“He’s been a key,� Hale said of Mihalakis. “We went round and around with third base this year. It was a revolving door, and he just sort of took it over. Part of it’s just (his) left-handed bat. The other part was he just started making all the plays.�

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ has won six games in a row. The ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ have yielded just six runs in their past five games. They scored four or fewer runs in three of those contests.

How they’re doing it doesn’t matter much at this point in the season. And by winning Friday, they’ve created an easier path to win the regional.

“I think it loosens the guys up a little bit,� Hale said. “I think there was some anxiety going into that (game). Everyone made a big deal about us not winning a game in our own regional last year and in Arkansas (the year before).�

“People keep asking about these different games where we don’t hit. Their pitcher was incredible today, and we knew that was going to be a tough matchup for us.�