EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon (13-3) came back home to PK Park after their series in Purdue and beat the Xavier Musketeers (6-11) 10-0 Tuesday afternoon, thanks to a rainy five-run second inning.
Oregon hosted the Musketeers on Tuesday in what was the start of their final series before their first Big Ten home games. The Ducks looked to start off strong, and after a shaky first inning, things started to pop off in the second.
As the rain started to fall in PK, so did the hits, and for Oregon, when it rains, it pours. This was affirmed when Jax Gimenez finished off a five-hit inning by clearing the centerfield wall for a grand slam on just the second home run of his career.
“I hit behind [Ryan] Cooney and got the rest of them behind me, so it helps when you’re surrounded by those guys,” Gimenez said when asked about his grand slam. “When we do our job, we’re really good, but definitely never hurts to come up with the bases loaded, and I can finish.”
Things slowed back down for the Ducks in the third, but a first-pitch homer from Drew Smith extended the lead for Oregon to six through a third of the game. Oregon was able to tack on three more runs in the next two innings, thanks to some small ball play and a few groundouts to get up to nine. Things would slow back down as the Ducks went scoreless in the sixth and seventh.
However, it would pick back up in the eighth for the Ducks as their first two batters would get on, leading to a walk-off scenario for pinch hitter Naulivou Lauaki Jr. Lauaki would make the most of his time as he sent a ball right through the middle to walk it off for Oregon on just his second hit of the season
Oregon also took control defensively as the Ducks threw a combined one-hitter against the Musketeers. Toby Twist made just his second start on the year, allowing one hit and a walk against six strikeouts across five innings.
“Felt good to get out there. Great offense, defense all around,” Twist said.
Tanner Bradly kept things rolling for the Ducks as he got through two scoreless innings while striking out three himself. Finally, Blake Crawford would come in to finish things off. Crawford was able to get through his inning, striking out the side and keeping the shutout for the Ducks.
“There’s a lot of talent down there,” head coach Mark Wasikowski said when asked about his pitching staff. “There’s a lot of arm talent, there’s a lot of good players. Credit to the assistant coaches for stocking up the place with talent.”
Oregon will play again on Wednesday against the Musketeers, where it will look for the midweek series sweep. The game will be at PK Park with first pitch set for 3:05 pm.