Two days into the college baseball season, Oregon is still an undefeated team.
The Ducks kept their winning ways going in the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader, taking down Xavier 5-3. The offense was fueled by a four-run fifth inning, in which Rikuu Nishida continued his big day and Drew Cowley hit his first home run of the season. On the mound, the freshman tandem of Matthew Grabmann and Turner Spoljaric did enough to hold down the fort.
“I don’t think we’re very good right now,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “I think we can be a challenge. I think we will be a challenge. We’ve got great pieces, but to be honest with you, I don’t think we’re very good right now.”
Oregon has now won the first three games of its season and is one win away from a sweep.
“Don’t get me wrong. I love these kids and being with them every day,” Wasikowski said. “It’s so much fun. But just as coaches, we get a chance to work and get these guys polished up… Just staying inside themselves, I think would really help. And I think the more we play, the better off we’ll be.”
Grabmann, one of the Ducks’ highest-ranked freshmen, made his debut on the mound. He battled some early control inconsistencies, but he was able to work around a couple walks in the first inning.
The Musketeers’ first hit didn’t come until two outs in the third, when Jack Housinger took Grabmann deep.
Xavier’s 1-0 lead didn’t last long. Bennett Thompson, getting his first action of the year, reached on a two-base error by the shortstop. With Thompson on third, Nishida hit a grounder to first, and the Musketeers had a golden chance to get the out at home. But first baseman Matt McCormick completely flubbed the ball, spiking it in front of his feet for another error. The Ducks tied the game on a run that was wrapped, sealed and gifted to them.
Grabmann fell into a jam in the fourth. The first two Musketeers singled against him, and a sacrifice bunt put both runners in scoring position. Utilizing his fastball, he recorded a key strikeout for the second out. He issued a walk to load the bases, but he escaped trouble with a three-pitch punchout.
Grabmann’s day ended after four innings and 81 pitches. Fellow freshman Canadian pitcher Spoljaric replaced him, making his own collegiate debut.
Spoljaric struck out the first two batters of his college career. After a hard-hit double, the first base umpire called a balk on him because of his funky delivery out of the stretch. Wasikowski bursted from the dugout to argue, and a conversation commenced at the mound for a few minutes. Eventually, a disgruntled Wasikowski returned to the dugout and the game continued.
Spoljaric, briefly thrown out of sync from the delay, issued a five-pitch walk. But he stayed composed and recorded the final out to keep the game tied.
“I thought I was gonna be nervous,” Spoljaric said. “I felt very calm and prepared for it, and I think that’s because of our coaching staff… I went out there and just kind of worried about execution.”
The big inning for Oregon came in the bottom of the fifth. Freshman Dominic Hellman collected his first collegiate hit, Colby Shade was hit by a pitch and Thompson bunted them over.
Gavin Grant was unable to convert with one out, but Nishida made it a moot point with more heroics. He slapped one to left field, bringing in two runs to give Oregon the lead. Cowley followed with an impressive opposite-field homer, which jolted the Ducks to a 5-1 lead.
“Lately, the ball’s been flying off his bat,” Wasikowski said of Cowley. “Better than it did even last year before the hamate [fracture]. He hasn’t swung it great yet, but he’s got tremendous bat-to-ball skills.”
Cowley made his second throwing error of the day in the sixth inning, allowing a Xavier run to come in. Spoljaric was otherwise unscathed through his second inning of work.
He found himself in trouble once again in the seventh, as a single and a double put two runners in scoring position with one out. But he maintained his grit and refused to allow Xavier back into the game. He recorded a key strikeout, then ended the inning with a pop out. He clapped his hands and stormed off the field triumphantly, already halfway to the dugout by the time Jacob Walsh caught the ball.
Matt Dallas entered for Oregon in the eighth, ending a streak of 14 innings pitched by freshmen. The first pitch he threw was rocketed to left field for a solo homer, but he settled down after that to hold the 5-3 lead.
Dallas stayed in for the ninth as well. He allowed just a two-out single as he closed out Oregon’s third straight victory.
Spoljaric was credited with the win, and he kept the ball as a souvenir. He was jovial and lively in his postgame press conference, and happened to have the ball with him in his pocket.
“I got it right here!” he cheered while pulling it out of his pocket. “I am going to put this up somewhere. I’m not sure yet, but I’m gonna put it somewhere!”
The Ducks will go for the four-game sweep of Xavier Sunday at noon, with another freshman pitcher making his debut in Jackson Pace.
