In their final tune-up before Pac-12 play begins this weekend, Oregon came alive offensively for a 10-4 win against Texas State to sweep the two game series.
Oregon trailed early after the Bobcats scored three runs off Cole Wiper in the second inning, chasing the freshman from the mound after just two innings of work, but the Ducks would waste little time in mounting the comeback.
“Cole’s just not missing many barrels right now,” George Horton said. “He’s going to have to continue to get better and maybe get some movement on his pitches.”
The Ducks made it 3-2 after three innings with a few fortuitous events in the third. First, Connor Hofmann scored on a balk by Jeremy Hallonquist, then Scott Heineman came home on the next pitch as Hallonquist bounced it passed his catcher.
An inning later the Ducks scored four times to take control of the game on a pair of two-RBI hits from J.J. Altobelli and Aaron Payne. Once again it was a case of Texas State helping out the Ducks with a pair of errors, and only two of the Ducks’ four runs in the frame were earned runs.
“It’s always nice to come up with a big hit and score some runs,” Altobelli said.
The Bobcats brought in another arm in the sixth inning but still couldn’t keep the Ducks from plating two runs, this time on an RBI from Ryon Healy and Brett Thomas.
Oregon too used a staff effort on the mound, with six pitchers throwing at least a frame for George Horton. Cole Wiper got the start and was hit relatively hard, giving up six hits and surrendering three runs in six outs of work. Jordan Spencer turned in two innings of his own and Sam Johnson, Derek Smith, Jared Priestley and Clayton Crum pitched in an inning each before Darrell Hunter tossed the ninth, giving Ducks closer Jimmie Sherfy the night off.
The bullpen was strong, holding Texas State to just one run on three hits and limiting the damage of four walks by bullpen pitchers. The pitching-by-committee approach also allowed Horton to give innings to three pitchers — Sam Johnson, Derek Smith and Jared Priestley — who made their season debuts on Wednesday.
“Some of them looked like it was their first outing,” Horton said. “But you’ve got to start somewhere.”
Oregon starts Pac-12 play at USC this weekend, which means a change in weather.
“Even though a lot of the kids are from Southern California,” Horton said, “we’re north westerners and Oregonians and depending on how hot it is, we’ve melted there before.”