Oregon baseball has won three of its last three games and is hoping to continue the  momentum it gained after taking two of three games from Oregon State. Next up for Oregon is USC, who ranks third in the Pac-12, and Emerald staff reporters Andrew Bantly and Kenny Jacoby break down the most pressing questions for the Ducks at this point in the year. 
The Ducks took the lead late in the game in their two wins against Oregon State. What’s your takeaway?
Jacoby: Its two dramatic wins over the Beavers will serve as a major vote of confidence for Oregon in upcoming Pac-12 competition. By no means did the Ducks play their cleanest baseball in the Civil War victories.  They could have easily been swept. By coming back from six runs behind on Sunday however, the Ducks proved they can win with their backs are against the walls – even when they don’t play their best game.
Bantly: I’m, more or less, impressed. Why? Well let’s start with the ugly: Oregon’s game on Sunday was full of mistakes and errors. Conor Harber struggled on the mound, too. Saturday was poor. Friday was lucky. The good: Oregon battled. No matter what negative analysis you can take from the weekend, they fought back to win the series. And that hasn’t been normal.
David Peterson and Conor Harber didn’t shine against the Beavers. Are you concerned?
Jacoby: Peterson has lost his last five outings and Harber doesn’t have a quality start all season. But the shortage of options at starting pitcher leaves Horton handcuffed. I think Peterson will pitch Saturday – hopefully he can last long enough so as not to exhaust the bullpen for Sunday. I foresee Horton employing a committee-style approach on Sunday and sticking with whoever has the hot hand.
Bantly: Sure. But not because Harber or Peterson really have any threat to lose their jobs, it’s because everyone else worth starting is hurt. Matt Krook, Jack Karraker, Joe Reta – all hurt. Though, I still think Cooper Stiles would make an interesting Sunday starter. But the fact is those two guys have bailed out Peterson and Harber more than they should have as of late.
USC sits in third place in the Pac-12. Oregon is tied for 10th. Who’s getting closer to the top when this one is over?
Jacoby: Too many question marks exist in the Oregon starting rotation, whereas the USC pitching staff ranks second in the Pac-12 with a 2.82 collective ERA. Cole Irvin delivered his first quality start of the year with the spotlight on, but he’ll face another tough test against Kyle Twomey. I said Oregon would need to play near-perfect baseball against OSU. It didn’t, yet it managed to win the Civil War. I don’t, however, see the Trojans bailing Oregon out in their house.
Bantly: I think Oregon battles and plays a hell of a series, though I don’t see them leaving LA with more than one win. Sure, the Ducks could pull off the series win, but that will take a consistent and dominant effort, which is something they have yet to show all year. Not just during their slump, but all year. For Oregon, it’s all about playing good baseball before the season ends.