The Ducks kept on rolling in the second game of their doubleheader on Saturday, dominating the Milwaukee Panthers by a score of 6-0. After starting the season 0-4 on the road, the Ducks have won six consecutive home games since returning to PK Park.
“It was fantastic,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said of the team’s energy levels. “All the way down to the end of the game, I didn’t feel like anybody drifted or anything like that. These guys like to play. It’s fun suiting up with them.”
Junior right-handed pitcher Peyton Fuller got the start for the Ducks, and set a career high with eight strikeouts across six scoreless frames. The end of his outing was especially impressive as he struck out the final five batters he faced.
“I established the fastball early. Got my breaking ball going as the game went on and was able to be really effective,” Fuller said. “Kind of got a little swagger going, found something I haven’t had in a while.”
The only trouble Fuller got into was in the third inning when a pair of singles put runners on the corners with two outs, but he worked out of it with his second strikeout of the game.
“There wasn’t anything that I didn’t like about [Fuller’s] performance,” Wasikowski said. “I thought it was very, very dominating.”
On the offensive side, the Ducks scored five of their six runs in a five-run third inning in which they sent 10 hitters to the plate.
Sophomore utility player Aaron Zavala reached base three more times after collecting three hits in the first game of the doubleheader. Zavala walked, singled, scored a run, stole a base and recorded two RBIs.
“I saw the ball well and was able to capitalize on some of the pitches I saw,” Zavala said.
The left-handed hitter came into the day with a .486 on-base percentage, and only increased it with his strong play in Saturday’s doubleheader.
Sophomore outfielder A.J. Miller, who had started the season 0-for-9 with eight strikeouts, also came in clutch with a two-run triple in the third inning to blow the game open, 5-0.
Redshirt junior Kenyon Yovan, who had seemingly been falling into a slump after a monstrous start to the season, continued to get back on track with a walk and an RBI single. Yovan leads the team with a .450 average.
The Ducks will conclude their four-game series against Milwaukee with a 12 p.m. game on Sunday, looking to keep that energy moving forward and extend their impressive six-game winning streak.
“Guys are getting more into the swing of the season. I don’t think it’s a mentality thing, more of just getting more in tune with everything baseball related,” Zavala said of the team’s recent performance.
“Let’s just prepare,” Wasikowski said of what the team needs to do next. “Put all of our eggs in the basket of preparation.”
After some tough battles and hard-luck losses, things finally seem to be clicking for this Ducks team now that they’re back in Eugene and playing with a high amount of energy.
