After an explosive series against non-conference opponent Northwestern State, the question was whether Oregon baseball could keep its offense going in Pac-12 play.
Through one game, at least, it certainly has.
The Ducks extended their winning streak to seven games Friday evening at Hi Corbett Field, destroying Arizona 15-3. They brought their total to 88 runs in that span, getting contributions up and down the lineup. All nine of Oregon’s starters had at least one hit, with eight of them recording multiple hits. It added up to a season-high 22 hits as a team.
The Ducks scored right away on an RBI infield single from Sabin Ceballos in the first inning. With Rikuu Nishida on third, Ceballos hit it deep in the hole, and Arizona shortstop Nik McClaughry fell down before he could attempt a throw.
Oregon put up a whopping seven runs in the second inning, jolting out to an early 8-0 lead. Jacob Walsh led things off with an opposite-field bomb, and the Ducks kept rallying, scoring their third run on a Nishida RBI single. With Ducks on the pond, Drew Cowley drove one just beyond the glove of Arizona right fielder Tyler Casagrande, clearing the bases and rolling in with a stand-up triple.
Ceballos tacked on another with a single to left, driving in Oregon’s sixth run of the inning. That ended the evening for Arizona starter TJ Nichols. He recorded just four outs.
Tanner Smith and Walsh greeted left-handed reliever Jackson Kent with hits, bringing in one of Nichols’s inherited runners. It was Walsh’s second RBI hit of the inning, and completed the seven-run walloping.
The Wildcats chipped away with a couple runs in the bottom of the second. Jace Stoffal, after a perfect first inning, walked the leadoff batter. Smith lost a fly ball in the lights, which fell for a “double,” and Garen Caulfield got Arizona on the board with a single.
With runners on the corners, Cowley dove and turned a fantastic double play, flipping to Gavin Grant with his glove. A run came in, but it was a big break for Oregon to keep the Wildcats’ rally from getting out of control.
Stoffal settled down, retiring six in a row. He permitted a couple baserunners in the fourth inning, but he ended the frame with his fourth strikeout.
Nishida laid down a perfectly placed bunt in the fifth, driving in a run, and Colby Shade lined one to left for an RBI single. That gave the Ducks double-digit runs for the sixth time in their last seven games.
Ceballos then did what he does best, hitting a ball hard and deep to the outfield. It bounced off the bottom of the wall, bringing in a pair of runs. Smith tacked on another with his third hit of the game — his 17th in his last 27 at-bats — and Oregon extended its lead to 13-2.
The Wildcats got one back in the bottom of the fifth, scoring on a sacrifice fly after a double and a wild pitch.
The Ducks responded with one in the sixth on an RBI double by Grant, scoring Dominic Hellman. Grant was thrown out trying to make it a triple, and that’s all Oregon got.
But the Ducks came right back out with another run in the seventh, this time on Walsh’s second home run of the game. It was Walsh’s fourth hit and Oregon’s 20th hit of the game.
The Wildcats hit a few balls hard against Stoffal in the seventh, with just one hit to show for it. Mason White gave one a ride to right field with two outs, and Shade called off Nishida to calmly record the final out.
That brought an end to a strong showing from Stoffal. He gave up three runs on five hits in seven innings, walking two and striking out five. He threw 96 pitches. It followed up his performance against Arizona last year, when he allowed one run in seven innings.
Austin Anderson pitched the final two innings. He struck out the side in the eighth, just working around a lone walk. There was no stress in capping off the 12-run victory.
Oregon (16-7, 4-3 Pac-12) will look to keep its hot streak going in the second match of the three-game series against Arizona (14-10, 3-7 Pac-12) Saturday at 6 p.m.
