The Oregon Club baseball team seized control of first place in the Pacific Mountain Conference this weekend by sweeping a pivotal three-game series at home against Western Washington, 3-2, 5-2 and 7-5.
Travis Chock went a combined 6 for 10 with five stolen bases in three games, and the Ducks relied on strong pitching performances to leapfrog their rivals to the north, which came into the weekend one game ahead of Oregon for first place.
“Sweeping Western Washington is typically unheard of,” outfielder Tory Caputo said. “It was big to come home and take care of business.”
Game one featured a pitcher’s duel as Oregon’s Jay Tlougan went a complete seven innings, giving up only three hits and two unearned runs.
Offensively, Chock went 2 for 3 with two runs batted in, and Marcus Denney broke a 2-2 tie with a game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh inning, lifting the Ducks to the 3-2 victory. Tlougan recorded the win for Oregon, his third of the season.
“Both teams had their number one pitchers going at it,” head coach Bradley Ficek said. “We were just able to get the clutch hitting at the end.”
Oregon again received timely hitting in the second game. Down 1-0 in the second inning, Gavin Wahl-Stephens hit a towering three-run home run over the left field fence, which put Oregon ahead 3-1.
Matt Oss added to the lead with a two out, two-run double to put the Ducks up 5-1 in the third. Oss and Jordan Denney both finished the game 2 of 3 for Oregon, helping the Ducks to the 5-2 win.
Starting pitcher Scott Sullivan worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing only one run on three hits. He struck out five while picking up his fourth win of the season.
Reliever Greg Wells entered in the sixth inning and worked the Ducks out of a jam, earning his first save of the season.
“Our pitchers stepped up in crucial situations,” Ficek said. “Only one person gets the win, but they all came in and did their part.”
By winning the first two games of the series, the Ducks took sole possession of first place and were in position to extend their lead in the final game of the weekend.
Western Washington, however, managed an early 4-1 lead after
four innings before the Duck bats came alive.
In the bottom half of the fifth, Chock led off with a single and stole second base. Adam Dexter then walked and was followed by back-to-back run-scoring singles by Jonathan Loomis and Oss before Jerry Wahl-Stephens hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at four.
An inning later, Jordan Denney lead off with a line drive triple down the right-field line and was able to score on a single by Chock. The run gave Oregon a 5-4 lead, one it would not relinquish.
Western Washington was able to tie the game in the seventh inning before the Ducks brought in freshman left-hander David Schott to relieve Tim Hegdahl, who pitched a strong 2 2/3 innings.
With the score tied at five, the Oregon offense regained control in its half of the eighth. With Chock on third, Dexter hit a two-out double into the left-center field gap, which proved to be the game winner. Loomis followed with a run-scoring single to give Oregon its final margin of victory at 7-5.
Greg Wells earned his second save of the season after relieving Schott, who picked up his second win of the season by pitching two scoreless innings.
“This was definitely a team effort,” Ficek said. “We just did the little things we needed to win a baseball game.”
The weekend’s victories not only avenge two earlier season losses to Western Washington but also place the Ducks in an ideal position for the postseason around the corner. Six teams are currently battling for the four regional tournament invitations; a first-place finish would guarantee a bid for Oregon.
“We definitely hope this is the start of something good,” Caputo said.