Riding high on the cusp of a thrilling sweep over Oregon State, the Oregon baseball team took down the Portland Pilots on Wednesday by a score of 18-1.
Tanner Smith, who made a splash on social media after posting this video, led off the game with a double down the right field line. Kenyon Yovan, who went hitless in the Oregon State series, singled in his first at-bat to bring in Smith and give the Ducks an early 1-0 lead.
Freshman RJ Gordon started on the mound for Oregon, coming into his second start of the season with no runs allowed over 10 1/3 innings this year. He worked around a two-out double to pitch a scoreless frame in his lone inning of work.
The Ducks went right back at it in the second as Gabe Matthews led off with a double and Josh Kasevich singled him home to make it 2-0. Sam Novitske followed with a single of his own as Kasevich advanced to third, and Bryce Boettcher brought in the game’s third run with a sacrifice fly.
Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski replaced Gordon for fellow freshman Rio Britton in the bottom of the second. He allowed a single and a double, but recorded a clutch strikeout and a flyout to escape unscathed.
The Ducks came out hot again in the third, as singles from Yovan, Aaron Zavala and Josiah Cromwick made it 4-0. Cromwick, who was added back to the lineup for the first time since Friday, was then taken out with an apparent injury.
But the rally didn’t stop there. Kasevich singled home two runs, Boettcher drew a bases-loaded walk and Tanner Smith singled to make it 8-0. Tristan Hanoian finally made the first out of the inning with a sacrifice fly that made it 9-0. Yovan then hit a two-run double and Jack Haley recorded his first collegiate hit as the Ducks rocketed out to a 12-0 lead.
Caleb Sloan pitched a scoreless third and fourth inning for the Ducks. Kasevich and Novitske led off the fourth with a pair of singles, but were left stranded.
Matthews brought in another run with a single in the fifth, and Kasevich followed with a three-run homer that made it 16-0. Kasevich had five hits and six RBIs on the day.
The Pilots plated their first run in the sixth off of Scott Ellis, but that would prove to be all they’d get. Decker Stedman and Isaac Ayon combined to throw the final three scoreless innings, with Ayon striking out the side in the ninth.
The Ducks added two more in the ninth with RBIs from A.J. Miller and Hanoian, putting the cherry on top as they cruised to an 18-1 victory.
The Ducks improve to 20-7 on the season. Up next, they’ll travel down to LA for a three-game series against USC starting Friday at 6:00 p.m.
