After they were rained out on Friday night, Oregon baseball played a doubleheader against Ohio State on Saturday, winning both games. The Ducks took game one 3-1 in 11 innings and made it two in a row later in the evening, winning 4-0.
The offensive star for the Ducks has continued to be Mitchell Tolman. The freshman had five hits and four RBI on the night, bringing him up to 18 RBI in the Ducks last seven games. Two of his RBI came in the 11th inning of the first game to give the Ducks a two run lead, with one of the nation’s best closers, Jimmie Sherfy, set to pitch the bottom half.
The man they call the Wild Thing wasn’t perfect but slammed the door to pick up his 17th save of the year despite loading the bases.
Oregon didn’t cut things as close in the second game, riding a complete game shutout from Cole Irvin to the four-run win. And once again, it was Tolman who delivered the clutch hit, cashing in Aaron Payne from second base with a first-inning triple. Brett Thomas was also 2-for-3 with a run scored, and J.J. Altobelli added a lead-off triple in the third inning.
Oregon will close out the series Sunday morning before returning home for a midweek set with Gonzaga and an all-important series at PK Park with Oregon State. The three-game Civil War may well determine the Pac-12 regular season champion, and it will have serious postseason ramifications with both the Ducks and Beavers hoping for a national seed.