By the time Oregon State got on the board in the top of the sixth, the Ducks had already tallied nine runs and 10 hits. That’s the sort of lopsided rivalry contest that went down at PK Park on Saturday as Oregon earned a 13-1 win over the Beavers.
Each of Oregon State’s first three pitchers allowed four runs as the No. 13 Ducks (29-12, 14-7 Big Ten) smacked four two-run homers in a blistering win over No. 3 Oregon State. (32-9).
“We hit the long ball today,” Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “We got some guys on and were able to capitalize on some mistakes thrown up in the zone, which is good. Sometimes you miss them, but tonight we got them, so we were fortunate.”
The Ducks were on the board before OSU starter Dax Whitney recorded an out. Dominic Hellman (2-4, four-RBI) sent his 12th homer of the season out to center field on Whitney’s seventh pitch of the night to drive in a pair of runs and give Oregon an early advantage.
The next two batters also reached in the first, but Whitney worked out of the jam to limit the damage to two early runs. The Ducks were 0-3 with a man in scoring position in the first and 4-15 overall in the win.
Whitney created another pickle to work out of in the second as he loaded the bases with free passes. This time, however, he couldn’t escape it as Drew Smith singled in two runs and doubled Oregon’s lead with the second hit of his 3-4, two-RBI day.
Whitney’s day ended after three innings. He allowed four runs on four hits while walking four and fanning four. He only threw 68 pitches in his second-shortest outing of his freshman season.
Reliever AJ Hutcheson wasn’t much better. He allowed three runs in his FIRST inning of work, two on Jacob Walsh’s 13th homer of the season and another as Maddox Molony singled in Smith, who added a triple to his day right after Walsh’s (1-3, two-RBI) blast.
Oregon starter Collin Clarke, however, was harder to get to on Saturday. Through his first five (shoutout) innings, he limited the Beavers to just two hits and a walk.
While Oregon’s lead did nothing but grow during his start, he kept OSU from mounting any sort of comeback until the sixth inning.
“I was just in the zone more today,” Clarke said. “I was able to control the ball a little bit better than the past couple (starts).”
While Clarke only collected four strikeouts, he forced a lot of weak contact and utilized his defense for a pair of double-play balls.
“I think having a good defense behind (me) was pretty helpful,” Clarke said.
His impressive day ended after six innings of one-run, four-hit ball. He threw 93 pitches (60 strikes) in his outing and kept the No. 3-ranked Beavers’ offense completely at bay.
He was lights-out today,” Wasikowski said. “Throwing the ball over the plate, strikes with all of his pitches and he did a tremendous job.”
Mason Neville added to the homer parade in the bottom of the fifth, taking James DeCremer deep to center field for his nation-leading 21st homer of the season and Oregon’s third two-run shot of the day.
“To go out and have your (first three) hitters all hit two-run home runs is pretty tough to do,” Neville said. “It just puts pressure on the other team and puts pressure on the pitcher. I mean, they don’t want to throw to us it seems like.”
Molony (2-5, three-RBI) recorded the fourth with a two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth that put the Ducks ahead by 10.
“The game of baseball’s hard,” Molony said. “It’s going to challenge you so it’s nice to have some success like that for sure.”
Carter Garate doubled down the first-base line later in the frame to plate two more as Oregon added more unneeded insurance runs in a four-run sixth
Oregon turned to its bullpen in the seventh. Just like Friday’s win, the Ducks’ relievers were highly effective. Ryan Featherston pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings before Jaxon Jordan and Sam Boyle combined for a quick ninth frame.
“I thought the entire pitching staff (over) the last two days have just been excellent,” Wasikowski said.
The Ducks earned their second win over Oregon State in as many days. Oregon has clinched at worst a series split with the Beavers as the two squads will play two more times over the next three days. First pitch on Sunday — the final game of the series at PK Park — is set for 12:05 p.m.
