The Oregon Ducks baseball team wrapped up their long road trip to the desert with a series victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils this weekend. After losing the first game of the series on Friday, the Ducks won two straight to beat the Sun Devils 2-1.
In Friday’s game – which Oregon lost 4-5 — the Ducks had no shortage of baserunners, but they had trouble bringing their guys around to score. Oregon finished the game with 10 runners left-stranded, which was partially a result of Arizona State’s pitching staff generating 13 punch-outs.
On Saturday, the Ducks offense got going. After just 4 hits on Friday, Oregon finished with 9 knocks on Saturday, two of which were home runs. Starting pitcher Tony Twist gave the Ducks just four innings, but relievers Brock Moore and Bradley Moore combined for five scoreless innings pitched to close the game for a 6-4 Oregon victory.
The Ducks brought the series home on Sunday afternoon, bringing even more offense for the third game of the series. In the fourth inning, Ducks first-baseman Jacob Walsh cranked a grand slam to put Oregon up 4-2, and from then on, the Ducks held the lead, carrying them to an 8-5 victory.
Throughout the weekend, the Ducks had to rely on their bullpen, but the relief pitchers answered the call. No Oregon starter made further than 5.1 innings, but each time the relievers were called on they answered.
The Ducks’ next matchup is on Tuesday, back in Eugene for a one-game stand against the University of Portland. After that, Oregon will host Cal and then Arizona at PK Park, each for a three-game series.