An onslaught of crushed gappers and perfectly-placed bloop hits supplied the Ducks with six runs in the fifth inning, a lead they did not give back against Cal Sunday at PK Park. Despite a late surge from the Bears, Oregon added insurance runs in the sixth and went on to take the game, and the series, by score 11-5.
After dropping game one, 12-2, and giving up a record 21 hits on Friday, the Ducks won the next two games to claim their first series win since taking two of three against UC Santa Barbara March 6.
“It’s a turning point in our season, for sure,” Daniel Patzlaff said. “That was a tough loss [Friday] and we came out almost angry the next day and really wanted to get a series win.”
The win improves the Ducks’ record to 14-12 (4-5 Pac-12).
“I’m proud of them,” Horton said of his players. “This was a big series — and we have plenty more work in front of us — but getting this series was a great accomplishment.”
Oregon’s fifth inning explosion began with Patzlaff’s leadoff double down the right field line. Three straight singles from Travis Moniot, Austin Grebeck and Kyle Kasser scored Patzlaff and Moniot and gave the Ducks a 3-2 edge. A.J. Balta hit a flare to left that, somehow, found grass between the left fielder, shortstop, third baseman and foul line. It scored Grebeck while Balta advanced to second for an unlikely double. Kasser scored on Jake Bennett’s RBI groundout, Balta came home on Steven Packard’s two out, pinch hit double to right-center, and Tim Susnara added an RBI single with another floater over the third baseman’s head that scored Packard from second. Oregon led 7-2 by the end of the inning, in which 11 Ducks made plate appearances.
Cal answered back with three runs in the sixth. Reliever Kyle Robeniol allowed a single and a walk before Jack Karraker replaced him and lasted just one batter, whom he hit with a pitch to load the bases. Isaiah Carranza entered in his place with runners in scoring position. The runner on third tagged up and scored as A.J. Balta made a sliding catch on a foul ball to left, and Mitchell Kranson doubled to right to score a pair of runs, cutting Cal’s deficit to 7-5.
Oregon, though, rebutted with four runs in the bottom half of the inning. With bases loaded, Bennett hit a potential inning-ending double play ball to the second baseman, who tossed it to the shortstop. The shortstop would have nailed Bennett at first but instead sailed it past the first baseman as two runs came around to score on the throwing error. Patzlaff came through with a two-out, two-run single to right field to provide the Ducks a healthy 11-5 advantage.
Oregon utilized seven pitchers to secure the win. Starting pitcher David Peterson, who hadn’t pitched since March 20 due to arm tightness and a canceled game against Michigan State, threw three no-hit innings but walked two batters and drilled three. Matt Mercer entered in his relief and gave up a two-run triple to Devin Pearson in the fourth. Brac Warren shut the Bears down in the seventh and eighth, and Stephen Nogosek closed out the ninth. Oregon hit six batsmen in total, including Pearson three times, a feat Horton called “crummy.”
The Ducks finished with 15 hits, three of which came from Patzlaff. Grebeck, Balta and Moniot contributed two hits apiece.
“This might be a defining moment,” Horton said. “It’s certainly a start.”
Oregon will play a road game against Portland on Wednesday, April 13 and a home series against USC over the weekend.
Follow Kenny Jacoby on Twitter @KennyJacoby