Every game recently, it seems like there’s one defining inning that leads Oregon baseball to victory. On Friday it was a seven-run fourth, Wednesday a four-run ninth and Tuesday a seven-run seventh.

On a bright, sunny Saturday afternoon following Oregon football’s spring game, it was a six-run third inning that provided the jolt. No. 20 Oregon beat No. 12 Arizona State in a high-scoring 16-10 affair, which clinched the series victory. It also moved the Ducks within 0.5 games of the Sun Devils for second place in the Pac-12. The action took place in front of 3,821 fans — the ninth-largest crowd in PK Park history.

“Fantastic,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “A lot of great at-bats. Winning the first two games of a series is awesome. A great feeling.”

In the top of the first, Logan Mercado was greeted rudely by leadoff hitter Wyatt Crenshaw, who deposited one onto the shed in right field for a home run to start the game. Mercado bounced back by striking out five of the next six batters — four of which were looking.

“As a baseball player, a lot of what you have to handle is failure,” Mercado said. “If you can just come back and pound a strike and get the next guy out, that’s really all I care about.”

The Ducks tied things up in a hurry. Rikuu Nishida singled in the Ducks’ half of the first, then advanced to second on interference. The hot-hitting Drew Cowley — fresh off a two-homer game including a grand slam — blooped a single, and Nishida raced home without any hesitation.

They tacked on another in the second inning to take a 2-1 lead. After Jacob Walsh doubled, Oregon loaded the bases on a hit by pitch and a walk, and Gavin Grant drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to deep center.

Just as Mercado seemed to be settling in, and with his offense gifting him a lead, he surrendered another home run to Crenshaw. This one merely bounced off the Karcher Korner Bullpen pole and didn’t reach the top of the shed.

“Two lucky swings, I guess,” Mercado said. “One executed pitch, one unexecuted pitch. What can you do?”

Arizona State nearly hit another home run in the inning, with Nick McLain — who went deep twice Friday — flying one to deep right. But Nishida, as short as he is, leaped and caught it above the wall to keep the game tied.

“Rikuu didn’t know if he did or not,” Wasikowski said. “But that’s a couple weekends in a row where he robbed one. And thank God he did.”

The Ducks took the lead once again, this time with a six-run outburst in the bottom of the third. Colby Shade doubled, Sabin Ceballos walked and Tanner Smith ripped an RBI single to right field to put Oregon on top 3-2. Ceballos was shaken up at third base and took a long time to get off the ground before eventually staying in the game.

Walsh followed with an RBI double, and Josiah Cromwick smashed a line drive three-run homer to blow it open. Cromwick had been scuffling, but has now hit two home runs this week.

“I’m just trying to simple things down,” Cromwick said. “Trying to swing at good pitches. I’ve been struggling doing that.”

The Ducks still weren’t done quacking. D. Smith and Grant hit back-to-back doubles, which jumped Oregon out to a commanding 8-2 lead.

With the bases loaded and Ceballos’s spot in the order due up, Owen Diodati pinch-hit for him and struck out. Wasikowski said it was a medical issue for Ceballos and that he doesn’t know if he’ll be in the lineup Sunday. Carter Garate took over at third base and had his first at-bats since March 25.

Luke Keaschall hit Arizona State’s third solo homer of the game in the fourth inning, making it 8-3. The Sun Devils tacked on a fourth run with a couple hits in the sixth for their first run without a homer.

The Ducks’ offense briefly fell quiet, but woke up again in the fifth inning as Shade and Cowley homered on back-to-back pitches. It was the second homer of the series for Shade and third for Cowley.

“[Cowley]’s killing baseballs,” Wasikowski said. “Exciting when the guys get going and the offense gets going like it did today.”

T. Smith joined the home run party the next inning, making it 11-4 with a solo shot. It was his ninth of the year and Oregon’s fourth of the game.

Mercado’s day came to an end after six innings and 102 pitches. Though his outing was hampered by three solo shots, he battled and was more than good enough to keep Oregon in this one. He struck out eight and walked three.

“Their approach today was just hitting home runs,” Mercado said. “They hit some, but all solo bombs, didn’t do any damage — much damage. I felt like I did a good job of containing all of the threats. They’re a good team, and I’ve gotta give them that.”

Matt Dallas replaced him and gave up three runs in the seventh, two of which came on Keaschall’s second bomb of the game.

Grant led off the bottom of the seventh with a bunt single, and Nishida nearly did the same but was narrowly called out. On the first pitch after a replay review, Shade hit an RBI single to come within a triple of the cycle.

As if there was any doubt Oregon would win this one, the Ducks added four insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. D. Smith and Grant each hit their second double of the game, and Nishida poked a two-run single into right field, blowing it back open to 16-7.

Dallas finished the game out, throwing the final three innings. Bryce Boettcher entered the game in right field for the ninth inning after recording three tackles in the spring game, which was still going on when the baseball game started.

“We asked him if he — ‘Hey man, you didn’t get dinged up over there or something where you can’t throw or you get a concussion by blowing somebody up?’” Wasikowski said with a chuckle. “He said, ‘No, Coach, this is great. I can’t wait to play.’”

With two outs, McLain and Jacob Tobias each went deep to drive in three more runs and get the Sun Devils to double digits, but that was all they got. There have now been 17 total home runs in this series — nine by the Sun Devils and eight by the Ducks.

No. 20 Oregon (30-12, 13-7 Pac-12) will look to complete the sweep of No. 12 Arizona State (28-15, 13-6 Pac-12) Sunday at noon.