Fresh off the heels of a 14-5 victory in Game 1 of the doubleheader, the No. 23 Oregon Ducks crushed the George Mason Patriots 14-4 on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore pitcher Cal Scolari got the start, sitting the top of the lineup down in order in the first inning, working around a one-out walk by picking off the runner.
The second inning brought some more fireworks, as Scolari found himself in trouble with two runners in scoring position after two walks and a sacrifice bunt. But a stellar catch from junior utility man Jack Brooks in center field kept the game scoreless after an inning and a half.
The first run of the game would come when junior second baseman Ryan Cooney scored on an overthrown back pick from George Mason catcher Vincent Cowd.
In the third inning, Maddox Molony connected on a hanging breaking ball and sent it to the parking lot for his first bomb of the year. Not to be outdone, Drew Smith unloaded one onto the roof of the training facility not 45 seconds later to put the Ducks (3-0) up 3-0 as the middle third of the game began.
Scolari must’ve appreciated the insurance runs, striking out the side in the fourth inning, bringing his total to seven, and it’d stay that way.
“That was probably the worst we’d seen him,” recalled head coach Mark Wasikowski, now in his seventh year at Oregon. “And yet he was dominant, right?”
Continuing his huge day, Smith smashed a ground ball through the legs of George Mason third baseman Jake Butler to make it 6-0 after a bases-loaded walk to Molony.
Mistakes from George Mason (0-3) continued after three straight hit-by-pitches made the score 9-0. Jax Gimenez, pinch-hitting for Angel Laya, dumped a single into right field to push the Ducks into double digits for the second time on Saturday, making it 11-0, and an eight-run fourth inning.
“That’s good vibes for sure, and everybody’s just rolling and hitting,” Smith said after the game. “It gets contagious.”
In the fifth, Ian Umlandt came in to relieve Cal Scolari of his duties and picked up where Scolari left off, sitting George Mason down in order.
With one out in the sixth inning, however, George Mason’s Owen Clyne broke up the no-hitter with a single up the middle, which was immediately followed by another single and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases with just one out. But Umlandt preserved the shutout by striking out the final two batters of the inning.
Oregon extended its lead once again in the bottom of the sixth, as Cooney ripped a two-out double down the line, scoring Brooks from first.
Gabe Howard came in for Umlandt in the seventh inning, surrendering a walk and a double before a Cowd sacrifice fly ended the shutout, making the score 12-1.
Shane Johnson relieved Howard, and a walk and a bases-clearing double off the bat of George Mason’s Lucas Alberti made it 12-4.
The Ducks pushed the lead back to 10 in the bottom of the seventh, as Brayden Jaksa smashed his first career homer, scoring Josh Schleichardt as well. The score would remain 14-4 the rest of the way, and Oregon had its third win of the year.
“I just want to win every single day,” Wasikowski said. “That’s my goal.”
The vibes were high at PK Park, where the series concludes on Sunday, with first pitch of the finale between Oregon and George Mason set for 12:05 PM.