Oregon’s season’s had its fair share of ups and downs, but Friday has to be its peak thus far.
The Ducks welcomed their rivals into PK Park, looking to give their season a boost and make a true statement to the college baseball world.
After their 4-2 win over No. 3 Oregon State (32-8), that message should read: Grayson Grinsell elite and the Ducks have the capability to beat anyone they play.
No. 13 Oregon (28-12, 14-7 Big Ten) utilized some timely two-out hitting and received a much-needed solid outing from its bullpen to snatch a Friday win at home.
“We’ve got a good record,” Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said. “We’ve got a really good record and all that kind of stuff, but (we) still feel that we’re way better than what we’ve shown on a consistent basis.”
It’s wins like these that show that potential.
Grinsell got the start on the mound for Oregon. The lefty’s incredible outing got off to an impressive start as he retired the first seven hitters he faced.
A Trent Caraway double would be the first runner he allowed, but it would cost him as Caraway came around to score on an Aiva Arquette RBI single as the Beavers got the scoring started in a two-run third.
The Beavers’ Friday starter, Nelson Keljo, made an early statement by striking-out the side in his first inning of work. The left flamethrower was regularly touching 96 mph in his 4.2-inning outing.
“The guy’s a really good pitcher,” Wasikowski said. “He’s got a really strong arm.”
Keljo gave Oregon’s offense fits early. He collected five strikeouts during the Ducks’ first time through the lineup. Oregon’s first hit didn’t come until the third inning, a monster homer off the bat of Mason Neville. His 20th homer of the season put the Ducks on the board and cut OSU’s early lead in half.
A double steal in the bottom of the fourth put a pair of runners in scoring position for Ryan Cooney, who delivered a clutch two-out, two-RBI double to left field to put the Ducks ahead 3-2. Each of Oregon’s first three runs came with two outs in their respective innings.
“I was just trying to put a ball in play hard,” Cooney said. “That’s all I usually try to do when I’m up to bat.”
Unfortunately, it was a trend that wouldn’t continue in the fifth inning. A trio of Beaver-issued free passes loaded the bases with two away, but Maddox Molony flew out to right to end the threat. The fifth inning, however, chased Keljo (three earned runs on two hits with seven strikeouts) from the contest.
Grinsell’s outing was everything the Ducks needed it to be. His seven full innings of work featured 117 pitches, five strikeouts and only two runs on four hits. He got into long battles with hitters that caused his pitch count to spike, but he avoided any damage outside of the third inning.
“He pitched really well,” Wasikowski said. “He didn’t really want to come out of the game.”
Oregon’s lefty has only allowed three earned runs across his last two outings — 16.0 innings of work against two top-10 ranked teams.
“I’m going to go out there and just execute to the best of my ability and go for every pitch, and that’s what I did today,” Grinsell said.
He gave the bullpen a lead to protect, one that doubled with Jacob Walsh’s 12 homer of the season, a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh that made it 4-2.
Ian Umlandt came in to pitch the eighth, recorded a pair of outs but allowed a pair of free passes to reach, prompting a pitching change. Cole Stokes came in and got Gavin Turley looking to end the threat and keep the Beavers off the board in the eighth.
Seth Mattox came in for the ninth. He allowed a two-out double, but kept Oregon State off the board as he slammed the door shut. The Beavers only scored in the third inning in their eighth loss of the season.
The bullpen, which has been the subject of much criticism over recent weeks, was lights-out against the No. 3 Beavers. In all, Oregon’s pitching staff limited the Beavers to two runs on five hits and three walks while collecting eight strikeouts. The bullpen only allowed one hit while fanning three.
“Those guys have electric stuff,” Wasikowski said of his bullpen. “So, I’ve got confidence in them. The zero was probably really good for them because it probably got them a lot of confidence in themselves.”
Oregon State will look to even up the series on Saturday while the Ducks attempt to secure (at worst) a series split. The two foes will play two more games in Eugene this weekend before a midweek clash in Corvallis on Tuesday to wrap up their four-game season series. First pitch for tomorrow’s contest is set for 4:05 p.m.