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It is always nice to come home after a successful road trip. Oregon Baseball managed a few shutouts and went 4-0 on their opening series of the season, a roadtrip to Hawaii and are ranked as high as 5th in some early polls this week. First Baseman Ryon Healy after the first three games was hitting .668. After the fourth and final game his hitting percentage dropped to .533. For the series he had a home run, four RBI’s and three doubles. The Pac 12 took notice and named Healy the Player of the Week, only the eighth time in program history a POW has come from the Ducks.

Oregon pitchers had solid outings in Honolulu. There was a scare when Starting Pitcher Jeff Gold took a comebacker off his ankle 4 2/3 innings into the final game of the series. He will be ok. Head Coach George Horton said in his Press Conference on Wednesday that it was just a bruise and he shouldn’t miss his next start.

The Ducks used eleven pitchers that combined had a 2.50 ERA. The group allowed just 33 hits in 36 innings, while striking out 25. Oregon’s four starters allowed just four runs in 22.2 innings pitched (1.99 ERA) on 21 hits. Not bad for a team that had to deal with a breezy, trade wind filled outfield for four games.

The Daily Emerald caught up with Coach George Horton and Senior J.J. Altobelli to talk about the four game sweep in Hawaii.

Oregon returns home this weekend to face Loyola Marymount in a three game set, followed by a single game vs the Portland Pilots. Game 1 is set for 6pm on Friday, Game 2 Saturday at 2pm, Game 3 Sunday at Noon. The Ducks then face Portland on Tuesday at 6pm before hitting the road for a three game set at Cal State Fullerton(Coach Horton’s former team) next weekend. All games this week are available on the Pac 12 Live Stream.

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Justin Phillips is Sports Reporter for Newsradio 1120 KPNW in Eugene, Oregon.

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Heading into the finale of the four game set to start the season, Oregon’s record is 3-0 as they looked to sweep Hawaii.  Junior First Baseman Ryon Healy in those three games is hitting a miniscule .668

In the opener on Friday,  Sophomore right hander Jake Reed set the tone throwing six scoreless innings and giving up only five hits while striking out seven in a 3-0 win for the Ducks. Senior J.J. Altobelli showed off his glovework with four assists at Shortstop and he also started two double plays.

Over the weekend, the Saturday win was a little more dramatic with Sophomore Jimmie Sherfy earning his first save of the year. First Baseman Ryon Healy had two doubles in the victory. On Sunday Freshman Cole Irvin pitched seven strong innings in his collegiate debut as Oregon rolled to a 9-5 win. First Baseman Ryon Healy and Infielder Aaron Payne both had four hits a piece for George Horton starts 2013 off with the finale on Monday.

The story of a season can change with one play on the field. It doesn’t necessarily matter the sport, as we Duck fans know. Oregon Starting Pitcher Jeff Gold was able to get through four and two thirds innings before being hit by a comeback pitch on his left ankle. He was on the field and in pain for several minutes before some of his teammates helped him off to a nice ovation from the Hawai’i faithful. He left just short of earning a victory for Oregon. He left with a 3-1 lead. Four pitchers followed Gold and picked up the win for the Ducks, 4-2. Coach George Horton starts the season with a four game sweep of Hawai’i. Sophomore Jordan Spencer picked up the victory, and had some help to close out the game with Darrell Hunter, Christian Jones and closer Jimmie Sherfy, who picked up his second save on the season.

Senior J.J. Altobelli provided some key hits, going 3-4 with two RBI’s and a run scored. He is hitting .462 on the young season and is tied for the team lead in RBI’s.

Up next for Oregon, a return home to the friendly confines of PK Park and a four game series with Loyola Marymount, followed by a quick one game with Portland. The Lions(Loyola Marymount) are 2-1 on the season. Portland is 0-4 at the time of this post.

UPDATE on Jeff Gold: Oregon Head Coach George Horton said in his Wednesday Press Conference that Gold has a bruise, and when it heals to the point he can run, he will be good to go. He is not expected to miss his next start.

Oregon Ducks This Week: