Justin Cassella crushed the first pitch of the game and that was a sign to come as the Oregon baseball team hit four home runs in the 13-5 win over Grand Canyon Wednesday afternoon in Phoenix.
Mason Neville, Jacob Walsh and Ryan Cooney joined Cassella in the home run derby.
With the win, the Ducks improved to 9-3 overall, while the Lopes dropped to 6-7.
The win was Oregon’s second straight win as the Ducks now head into Pac-12 play. Fortunately, they won’t have to travel far to Tempe where Arizona State awaits for a three-game weekend set.
After Cassella’s first-inning homer, GCU took a 2-1 lead in the bottom, but the Ducks responded right away in the second with Cooney’s solo shot to right to tie the game 2-2.
Grand Canyon scored two more in the third to take a 4-2 lead. Oregon answered in a big way when Walsh hit an absolute bomb to right where the ball may still haven’t landed.
After the third inning, Oregon pitchers set down 13 straight batters led by Ian Umlandt’s four perfect innings out of the bullpen. While the Lopes were being held off the board, the Ducks were lighting it up.
Oregon scored two runs in the fourth and fifth and then five huge runs in the sixth to take an 11-4 lead. The Ducks scored two more in the seventh just for good measure. The Ducks had 21 hits and were walked seven times.
Now the very last Pac-12 season gets underway Friday where the Ducks are the defending conference champions after winning the league tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz. last season. The Sun Devils come into the series with a 6-6 record.