By: Jack McArthur
Oregon native Jace Stoffal went the full nine innings, leading the Ducks to a massive 4-0 win over #7 Stanford on Friday. The Stanford Cardinal were chopped down by Oregon’s nearly perfect pitching. Jace Stoffal started off the game scorching hot. He had two K’s in the first inning. During the first three innings, it was a pitcher’s duel between Oregon's Jace Stoffal and Stanford’s lefty, Quinn Mathews. The game remained scoreless through three innings. Mathews started off hot, then cooled down, as he gave up three runs in the fourth inning. Despite Mathews pitching a fairly complete game, Stanford’s quiet offense caused them this loss. The Cardinal didn’t score a single run the entire game.
In the fourth inning, Oregon ended the scoring drought. Junior outfielder Colby Shade put the Ducks on the board with his solo blast that brushed the left fielder banner in the bottom of the fourth. Then, Oregon first baseman Jacob Walsh hit a two-run blast past the right field wall, which gave Oregon a 3-0 advantage after four innings. The Cardinal had potential to get on the board in the fourth inning, yet were unable to capitalize on numerous opportunities. Drew Cowley hit another one out for the Ducks at the bottom of the fifth inning. Cowley’s home run was Oregon’s third of the night.
Tanner Smith made history during the fifth inning. Smith smashed a double that set a new Oregon record. It was Smith’s 59th double as a Duck, which impressively made him the all time doubles leader in Oregon history.
Stoffal struck out Stanford’s Drew Bowser to retire the sixth inning. This strikeout was Stofall’s sixth K of the night. Through six innings, Oregon led the Cardinal 4-0. Jace Stoffal was the main storyline of tonight. He went the full nine innings without giving up a single run. Stoffal cruised his way to a complete game shutout. He also only gave up three hits tonight, which is a rarity in baseball. Throwing a shutout is already extremely impressive in itself, yet Stoffal did the unimaginable tonight. He only allowed three hits the whole game. Stoffal posted an impressive eight strikeouts on the night. Stoffal pitched the best game of his life, as the resilient Duck defense left the Cardinal scoreless. “He’s really invested the time, the energy, and the effort. He’s starting to see payoff on that. It’s exciting to see,” said Oregon head coach, Mark Wasikowski. “Complete game shutouts are really hard to come by, and Jace was on fire today. It’s great to see.” Oregon will look to get a series win, as they set to face off against the Stanford Cardinal again, tomorrow. Tomorrow’s game will be on Saturday April 15th, at 2:05 PM at PK Park.
Audio Story