The Ducks went into Sunday afternoon’s contest with a new sense of energy and swagger after grinding out a doubleheader sweep the previous day that extended their winning streak to six.
Behind some more key offensive contributions from multiple players, as well as a strong start by junior right-handed pitcher Brett Walker, the Ducks kept on rolling with their seventh straight win, 6-1, as they secured the four-game sweep over Milwaukee.
After reaching base six times in Saturday’s doubleheader, sophomore Aaron Zavala showed no signs of fatigue as he reached base four more times in Sunday’s contest via three singles and a walk, while also recording two RBIs.
“I’m just seeing the ball really well,” Zavala said. “Been able to get pitches that I can hit and just trying to stay simple and do what I can with the pitches.”
Head coach Mark Wasikowski also spoke highly of Zavala’s performance.
“He played good defense, and he crushed baseballs,” Wasikowski said. “And he was timely, and what didn’t he do?”
Zavala now leads the team with a .487 average and .563 on-base percentage.
Redshirt junior Kenyon Yovan also continued his hot hitting with a hard-hit double in the first and three walks, one of which was intentional.
Sophomore shortstop Gavin Grant quietly had his best game of the season so far, as the No. 9 hitter recorded two singles as well as an RBI triple in the eighth.
The Panthers made it close with a run in the seventh that cut the Ducks’ lead to 2-1, but the Ducks responded with two in the seventh and two in the eighth to lead them to a comfortable victory.
The team got another strong performance from its starting pitcher, as Walker turned in six scoreless innings. Strong starting pitching has been a theme for the Ducks during this seven-game winning streak, and something that they struggled with last year.
“The body control of the pitchers, the command, all those kind of things,” Wasikowski said of what his pitching staff has been doing well. “It was a complete weekend when it comes to pitchers.”
Wasikowski also spoke on his decision to pull Walker after six strong innings and not send him out for a seventh.
“He could have gone longer, but we hadn’t stretched him out a whole lot, and so Coach Angier missed on the safe side.”
“I just tried to execute my fastball at the beginning of the game and then work off that,” Walker said of his performance.
After a 7-0 homestand that saw the Ducks completely turn their season around after an 0-4 start, Wasikowski’s squad will head to Hawai’i for a four-game series that starts on Thursday.
“Really excited about the way the team played,” Wasikowski said. “Clean baseball for the most part the entire weekend. Pitched the ball exceptionally well, timely hitting; exciting to see what was done this weekend.”
Despite the improved results, Zavala said that nothing has changed mentality-wise for this team.
“More hits are falling, pitchers have been doing better. But the mentality in the dugout and the clubhouse and stuff has all been the same. So things are just finally coming together for us.”
These wins are certainly critical for the Ducks as they head into their final series before Pac-12 play begins.
