Though not a traditional baseball power, Portland has found a way to get the best of Oregon when the two sides have played in Eugene.
Since Oregon’s program was reinstated, Portland has won all four meetings between the Ducks and Pilots on Oregon’s home turf.
That streak is finally over.
Oregon took out three years of frustration on its non-conference visitors Tuesday night, defeating Portland 14-3 before a sparse crowd of 1,294 at PK Park.
The Ducks improved to 19-16 overall and 2-7 in the Pacific-10 Conference with the victory, while the Pilots fell to 12-21.
Oregon used a seven-run third inning to grab control of the contest and never saw its hefty lead threatened thereafter.
“We hit the ball well tonight,” Oregon freshman outfielder Aaron Jones said. “I think we’ve kind of bounced back form the beginning of the year when we were scuffling with the bats and turned it up a little bit.”
Freshmen like Jones were a big reason why the Ducks were score to put up season-high 14 runs. The five freshmen in Oregon’s starting lineup combined for seven hits and nine RBI, and were vital to the Ducks’ scoring rallies.
“Its been one of the bright spots in this year that we’ve struggled a little bit,” Oregon head coach George Horton said of the freshmen’s contributions. “It looks like the future is pretty bright for position players.”
Freshman Kyle Garlick began the Ducks’ seven-run third inning barrage with a leadoff walk. A few batters later, Garlick scored the game’s first run on an errant pickoff throw to first.
Later in the inning, after a walk and a single loaded the bases, Jones roped a two-run double into the right center field gap that knocked in freshmen Stefan Sabol and Brett Thomas.
Another freshman, first baseman Tyler Kuresa, followed Jones’ hit with a two-run double of his own to give Oregon a six run advantage. Garlick added an RBI base hit of his own before Portland finally escaped further damage.
In the top of the fourth inning, Matt Mardesich got Portland on the board with an RBI triple. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Riley Henricks to cut Oregon’s lead to 7-2, but that was as close as the Pilots would get.
Working with a comfortable advantage, Oregon starter Jeff Gold put forth an admirable performance in spot-duty. Gold, who had thrown a total of 4 1/3 innings before he took the mount Tuesday, went five strong to earn his first win of the season.
Gold credited Oregon catcher Jack Marder for helping him find a rhythm on the mound.
“Jack caught a heck of a game and he was making me feel comfortable out there,” Gold said.
After Gold departed, Oregon received shutdown relief work from a trio of pitchers. Joey Housey, Porter Clayton and Brando Tessar combined to throw four scoreless innings and strike out five batters, while only allowing three hits.
Conversely, Portland’s pitching staff allowed Oregon to clog the scoreboard with runs. Starter Matt McCallister suffered his third loss of the season after surrendering five runs in 2 1/3 innings, while four Pilot relievers combined to allow nine earned runs.
After McCallister left the game, Oregon scored three runs in fourth, two in the fifth and two more in the seventh to ensure a lopsided victory.
However, Oregon’s blowout win was marred by an arm injury Housey suffered in the sixth inning. According to Horton, Housey “felt a pop” underneath his arm after throwing a pitch. Housey was immediately removed from the game and it’s unknown whether he’ll miss time.
After a day off today, Oregon will return to Pac-10 play Thursday with a three-game series against Arizona. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at PK Park.
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