The Ducks got a 4-1 win in their final game of a two game series against Cal State Northridge Tuesday in a rainy afternoon at PK Park. In the game, the Ducks, now 10-3 on the season, showed their true colors, getting four runs on just five hits. This was stark contrast to the 21 runs they put up in their two previous games.
In a game where no player had more than one hit, the star was starter Jeff Gold, who went seven innings, giving up six hits and one run.
“Gold was probably the biggest thing today,” coach George Horton said. “We won the strike throwing contest today, which we didn’t yesterday. He’s a four pitch mix guy. (CSUN) has a lot of right-handed hitters and they like to hit the fast ball so I felt good about the match up going into it. I don’t always feel good about Jeff because he doesn’t have electric stuff but as long as he keeps his arm slot on he can throw any pitch in any count.”
Gold’s role on the team has been a bit undefined so far with both starting and relieving appearances, however, he says that it hasn’t bothered him and that he will always be ready to go when called upon.
“Throw strikes,” Gold said of how he deals with an undefined role. “Throw quality strikes. I’ve been going about my work the same way, just grinding and waiting for opportunities. Putting myself in the best position for when I get called upon.”
Gold had a very solid and consistent outing, even through Oregon’s fielding was a little sub par due to the rainy conditions. However, it wasn’t always shaky. On one play, Ryan Raslowsky hit a grounder sharply into Gold’s glove. The ball fell into a weird spot and Gold had to throw the entire glove, ball and all, to first baseman Ryon Healy.
“I looked down and (the ball) was stuck,” Gold said. “I went to get it out and I heard Shaun (Chase) yell, ‘throw your glove!’ I went to throw my ball and I was like, ‘the ball is going to come out the second I throw it’ and it did. Luckily, Healy had great focus on it and was able to catch the ball and not my glove.”
Healy’s ability to avoid the glove, which came at him first, and field the ball to get the out at first base was just one of the many unique plays that Oregon has been able to make so far this season to make up for their poor offense.
Turning Point. For the second straight game, Oregon was able to connect with the ball in the fourth and establish a lead. Tuesday, it started with a double up the center for Healy, followed by an RBI single from Brett Thomas. Then Steven Packard walked. Ryan Hambright then hit a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners before Shaun Chase hit a sacrifice fly to score Thomas.
“Coach (Wasikowski) and coach Uhlman, they didn’t invent the game, but they’re awfully smart. Finding a way to win and finding a way to create runs has kind of been us.”
The Ducks found insurance runs in the fifth and eighth when Aaron Payne brought in Scott Heineman on a ground out and Packard hit an RBI double to the left corner to score Brett Thomas but still found themselves nervous in the top of the ninth when Jordan Spencer walked his first batter and then was pulled for Garrett Cleavinger. Cleavinger gets two outs before a 14-pitch battle with Michael Najera, who inevitably reached base on an error.
The Ducks got out of the inning and finished the game on a grounder to first fielded by Healy.
On the Horizon. The Ducks (10-3) will face their toughest opponent yet, and possibly the toughest one they will see all season, when they take on No. 2 Vanderbilt (12-1) this weekend for a three game series at PK Park. The first game will be Friday at 6 p.m. The game will feature an incredibly pitching match up between Oregon ace Jake Reed (1-2) and Vanderbilt ace Kevin Ziomek (3-0), who is one of the most highly rated players in college baseball.