The Oregon baseball team entered this one looking to split the doubleheader and take back the series lead. The Duck’s offense didn’t take off until the eighth inning of the first game, resulting in a loss. In the second game of the day, they hoped to get the bats warm earlier. They did exactly that, hitting a program-record seven solo home runs.
“I like program records,” Coach Mark Wasikowski said. “Any record is great.”
Oregon’s starting pitcher for the second game was Saint Mary’s transfer Jason Reitz, who started just six last year, covering 48.0 innings and fanning 65 batters on his way to a 6.00 ERA. Reitz is a lanky junior standing at 6-foot-9 with some high-velocity stuff, touching up to 95 mph Saturday.
Starting pitching seemed to be the strong suit for the Ducks on Saturday Game 1 starter Collin Clarke was excellent, and Reitz started the second game by striking out five of the first eight batters he faced. Reitz went just three shutout innings, running up the pitch count to 45 with five strikeouts.
“It was electric. It was good to see Reitz out there,” center fielder Mason Neville said. “He set the tone early.”
Sophomore shortstop Maddox Molony got the scoring started in this game, taking a Ryan Kennedy fastball past the left field wall for his first home run of the season.
The third inning proved to be an exciting one for Oregon. Sophomore infielder Ryan Cooney walked on his first trip to the plate. He advanced to third base as Carter Garate singled to right field during Cooney’s steal attempt. After Garate stole second base, Neville popped out marking just the first out of the inning. Drew Smith came to the plate and sent a fly ball all the way to the warning track for a sacrifice fly, scoring the Ducks’ second run.
Left-handed reliever Ian Umlandt came out for the fourth inning, forcing two groundouts on his first two pitches, then forcing a popout in four pitches to hold Toledo scoreless. Umlandt would throw 66 pitches across six shutout innings, striking out eight, allowing just two hits and hitting one batter.
“I feel like I compete and pitch at my best when I’m just kind of free and letting the passion and competitiveness take over,” Umlandt said after the game. “Being able to let it out in those moments, knowing the whole dugout is behind me is a blast.”
Oregon’s lead was extended when senior leader Jeffery Heard sent a ball deep into right-center field for his first home run of the year.
“He’s been really probably our toughest out in the order,” Coach Wasikowski said. “He’s been hard to strike out.”
The Ducks’ bats stayed hot in the fourth inning after the Heard homer, Molony singled to left and stole second and third base on a wild pitch from Ryan Kennedy. He came home on a sacrifice fly from freshman catcher Burke-Lee Mabeus, bringing an RBI in during his first career start.
The leadoff hitter Neville carried his hot slugging into the second game of the doubleheader, crushing a home run to deep right field, making it a solo shot in both games. A Jacob Walsh opposite field tank shot to increase Oregon’s lead to 6-0 in the fifth inning followed.“Just wherever the pitch takes me,” Neville said after the game. “He threw a couple middle-in today and I kind of just turned on them.”In the sixth, the Ducks refused to slow down. Molony belted his second home run of the game past the right field wall, this one coming off of RHP Yianni Skeriotis. Followed up by a two out hit from Mabeus, collecting his first career hit and stolen base after reaching.
In the seventh inning, Oregon’s all-time home run leader Walsh added to his total with a monstrous blast into the Duck’s bullpen in right field. The home run marked his second of the game, the third of his season and his 42nd career home run. The blast to deep right field also sets Walsh’s sixth career game with two home runs.
Walsh’s extension of the lead wasn’t enough for Anson Aroz as he followed it up with a solo shot of his own into the bullpen, his first home run of the year and Oregon’s seventh of the game.
The Ducks face off against the Toledo Rockets on Sunday for the last game of the matchup at 12:05 p.m., where they hope to advance to 3-1 on the season and halt Toledo from tying the series.