For the first time all season, No. 9 Oregon faced a new test: a decisive rubber match. With the pressure of dropping a home series to inferior Rutgers on their shoulders, the Ducks got it done. 

Freshman Will Sanford was good enough for his second win of the season while the Oregon offense found a couple timely hits. Coupled together, it resulted in a 4-2 Sunday win. 

A two-out double off the bat of Chase Meggers got the scoring in the bottom of the second. Both Parker Stinson and Ryan Cooney scored as Meggers recorded his fifth and sixth RBIs of the season. 

Stinson, who played hero in Oregon’s 4-3 walkoff win on Friday, made his first start of the season from the DH spot, but was 1-3 with two strikeouts. Still, his run in the second gave Oregon a lead it wouldn’t relent to clinch its third series win of the season. 

A sacrifice fly put the Scarlet Knights on the board for the first time, but it would be the lone run Sanford allowed in his start. 

He went six full innings, relented just one run on only two hits, walked five and fanned five. While control issues forced him into many deep counts, he avoided any real damage or continuous Rutgers’ successes. 

Burke-Lee Mabeus stepped up with the bases loaded in the fifth and continued his hot freshman season by grounding into an RBI groundout, putting Oregon back ahead by two. 

Jason Reitz threw 1.2 innings, but was tagged with another sac fly in the eighth. An RBI double from Jacob Walsh in the bottom of the frame, however, kept the momentum on Oregon’s side, giving Santiago Garcia a two-run lead to protect in the ninth. 

He did just that to earn the Ducks the series win. Oregon will remain atop the Big Ten baseball standings for another week. The Ducks take to the road for a three-game set with Ohio State this next weekend.