It’s official: Oregon’s offense is finally awake. In the past week, the Ducks’ bats have completely emerged from a prolonged batting slump that has encompassed most of the season.
In its last six games, Oregon has logged 44 runs and 74 hits, staggering numbers for a team that’s scored less than four runs in a pair of three-game Pacific-10 conference series this year.
It all began last Tuesday when the Ducks, coming off a home series sweep at the hands of UCLA, traveled north to take on the University of Seattle.
Oregon smashed Seattle 10-5 that day, fueled by a season-high 19 hits.
Since then, Oregon has only lost once, its offense the main reason for the turnaround.
“We were struggling earlier in the year,” Oregon third baseman J.J. Altobelli said. “We’ve been having good at bats. We’re just putting a lot of good at bats in a row together now instead of just one out of every three.”
Oregon’s win over Gonzaga Tuesday night was a prime example of that trend. Early on, Bulldog pitcher Andy Hunter got the better of Oregon’s hitters, allowing only one run during the game’s first four innings while striking out five.
“Early we were futile,” Oregon head coach George Horton said. “That kid had a lightning fastball, a slippery fastball. He was throwing the ball, and we were overmatched early.”
Bulldog reliever Mark Phillip held the Ducks scoreless in the fifth, but in the sixth, Oregon’s offense got rolling.
First baseman Ryon Healy opened the inning with a single to center. After he was sacrificed to second by freshman right fielder Aaron Jones, Kyle Garlick drew a one-out walk.
Shortstop KC Serna followed with a strikeout, but catcher Brett Hambright drew a walk to load the bases with two outs.
Then, Altobelli roped a double down the left-field line to score two runs and give Oregon a 3-0 lead.
Next up, Danny Pulfer added to Oregon’s lead with another two-run RBI double to left that gave the Ducks a 5-0 advantage. Finally, Brett Thomas laced a run-scoring triple to left center field, giving Oregon the 6-0 lead it would not relinquish.
All the while, Oregon’s pitching shut down a potent Gonzaga offense that entered play hitting .285, an impressive feat considering the pitching-dominant landscape of college baseball today.
Solid pitching and strong hitting is a winning combination for any baseball team at any level. While the Ducks’ pitchers have been on target most of the year, its offense seems to finally be coming around to complement one of the best group of arms on the West Coast.
“We’re scoring more runs and it feels good because we know how good our pitching staff is,” Altobelli said. “If we can them enough runs, it’s a pretty good chance we’re going to win.”
That will need to continue, however, for an Oregon team that can’t afford to falter in the season’s eight remaining games. At 27-24-1, the Ducks will likely need to win the rest of their games to qualify for the postseason.
“We’re swinging the bats a little bit better, and we’re going to need to if we’re going to win the rest of our games,” Horton said. “It can’t just be because we’re going to throw shutouts.”
Keudell to pitch on short rest
In a rarity for the college game, Oregon will summon pitcher Alex Keudell on three days rest to take the hill this afternoon in the series finale against the Bulldogs. Keudell pitched 5.2 innings against Stanford on Saturday.
“He only threw 80-something pitches, he got hit in the hip if you remember, so it wasn’t an extended deal, and before we set this up, (pitching coach Andrew) Checketts talked to him and he said he felt good, so he should be able to come back no problem,” Horton said.
