Entering the season, not many believed Mason Neville would be one of Oregon’s most dangerous hitters. When the season reached March 27 and he only had five hits, those beliefs looked to be legitimate.
But since April 16, he’s arguably been Oregon’s best player. The ball simply explodes off his bat. Neville’s power was on full display Thursday night as he launched a pair of homers to help No. 20 Oregon (35-16, 17-11 Pac-12) knock off Washington State (21-30, 9-19 Pac-12) to open the Ducks’ final series of Pac-12 play.
It was the beginning of the end. The final Pac-12 series that PK Park may ever see. RJ Gordon and Neville made sure the weekend started on a dominating note.
The Ducks were on the board before Washington State starter Grant Taylor recorded an out. A hit-by-pitch set up a two-run blast from Neville to put the Ducks ahead early. His 13th homer of the season was sent past the Oregon bullpen to open Thursday’s scoring.
“I feel like we’re facing good pitchers,” Neville said. “I just feel like my approach right now and the confidence and stuff I’m working on in the cages and at practice is paying off.”
The Cougars got one back in the top of the second as Jacob Morrow singled to left on a ball that missed both the outstretched gloves of Drew Smith and Maddox Molony.
Neville sent his second bomb of the game to the parking lot with a pair of runners on in the third. A poorly-placed changeup from Taylor may have broken a windshield in right-center. Through two innings, Neville had five RBIs — bringing his season’s total to 37. He has four homers across his last four games and is second on the team with 14.
“Right now, I feel like the approach is to just put a good swing on the ball,” Neville said. “Find a barre. By doing that, you catch it clean and you get a base hit. Just be on time for the fastball and put a good swing on it.”
It would take the Cougars until the sixth inning to get on the board again. A solo shot from Joey Kramer — his 10th of the year — cut Wazzu’s deficit to 6-2.
Gordon’s day would end shortly after. Oregon’s Friday guy (pitching on Thursday) had an impressive evening against one of the bottom offenses in the conference. He twisted 6.0 innings of two-run, five-hit ball. Across his 103 total pitches (62 strikes), he fanned six while walking two and hitting one. Gordon earned his seventh win of the season while his ERA dropped from 4.98 to 4.83.
“Today’s [mindset] was just ‘I’m not looking at the score’,” Gordon said. “I just wanted to go and throw everything really hard.”
With the Pac-12 Tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona coming up next week, the Ducks need Gordon to be at the top of his game. He certainly looked ready for postseason play on Thursday.
Taylor’s night on the bump was considerably less successful than Gordon’s. Neville was his kryptonite as he surrendered six runs on five hits while fanning six and walking a pair. He earned his fourth loss of the year while raising his ERA from 3.79 to 4.21.
The Ducks added on in the sixth. A three-RBI double from Jacob Walsh broke the game open and gave Oregon a 9-2 advantage. At that point, the contest was essentially out of reach and the Ducks turned to their bullpen.
Ryan Featherston took over and pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings. Jaxon Jordan came out to throw the ninth, but his poor performance saw walk two and fail to finish the frame. Bradley Mullan finished the game as the Ducks got their 35th win of the season.
This weekend’s series holds incredible weight for Oregon’s Pac-12 Tournament seeding. The Ducks entered Thursday night third in the Pac-12 standings — a place they’d very much like to stay in as they head to Arizona.
Being one of the top seeds in the nine-team bracket in Scottsdale would be crucial for an Oregon team that’s looking to defend its 2023 Pac-12 Tournament title. The Ducks took a step in the right direction with their series-opening win over Washington State.
“We want to finish as high as we can,” Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “We need to take care of our business for the next two nights. We did tonight. That’s one step. [I’m] happy about that, and we’ve got more work to do.”
Regardless, the rest of the weekend will continue to make the postseason picture all the more clear. The Ducks and Cougars will do battle again Friday night at 6:05 p.m. Grayson Grinsell (6-2, 4.33 ERA) is expected to start on the mound for the Ducks.
