Oregon Closer Jimmie Sherfy
GoDucks.com

Oregon and Ohio State will meet on the football field, although that is a few years away. This weekend the Duck Baseball team(37-11, 19-5 Pac 12) meets Ohio State 33-15(14-7, Big 10).  for the first time.

The Buckeyes are ranked 3rd in their conference and took on Georgia Tech during the week, winning one of two.  According to OhioBuckeyes.com,

The Buckeyes rank in multiple offensive categories including stolen bases (74, 3rd), triples (13, t-2nd), home runs (19, t-3rd) and runs scored (253, 3rd). On the mound, Ohio State ranks in ERA (3.16, 3rd), saves (18, 1st), walks allowed (120, 2nd), opposing batting average (.247, 4th) and strikeouts (328, 1st). The Buckeyes also are second with a .976 fielding percentage.

Individually, Pat Porter is fourth with 39 runs scored, tied for first with four triples, ninth with a .483 slugging percentage and tied for fourth with 12 doubles. Joe Ciamacco leads the Big Ten with 20 stolen bases while Jacob Bosiokovic, Ryan Cypret and Porter are tied for 10th with four home runs. Kirby Pellant is tied for third with three triples.

Brad Goldberg sits tied for sixth in the conference with 53 strikeouts and 10th with a .251 opposing batting average while Brian King sits fifth with a .223 opposing batting average, eighth with a 2.59 ERA and is tied for first in the conference with seven wins. King and Jaron Long are first and tied for second in the conference, respectively, in innings pitched while Trace Dempsey leads the Big Ten with 16 saves and 26 appearances.

For Oregon, currently on an 8 game road trip, the three game series with the Buckeyes brings the Ducks east of the Mississipi. Coach Horton’s team is 4-1 so far on the trip.

The Ducks freshman Mitchell Tolman was named National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Hitter of the Week and the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week last week. Oregon enters Ohio with several key hitters, including Tolman, Ryon Healy, who recently hit his 10th home run of the season.

Oregon turns to Pitcher Tommy Thorpe to start the series on Friday (4:05p PT , Big 10 Network), Cole Irvin on Saturday(12:05p PT and Jake Reed on Sunday(9:05a PT.)

Oregon Ducks This Week:

Press Release from the University of Oregon:

PULLMAN, Wash. – Ryon Healy hit his 10th home run of the season and pitcher Cole Irvin battled through some early troubles to lead No. 11 Oregon to a 6-3 Pac-12 Conference victory at Washington State on Saturday.

Healy went 2-for-4 with a RBI and two runs scored to lead Oregon (36-11, 18-5 Pac-12) to a series-clinching win. J.J. Altobelli was 3-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI.

Irvin (9-2) allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits in seven innings. Jimmie Sherfy retired the side in order to get his 16th save of the season.

Healy put the Ducks on top in the top of the first when he blasted a solo home run over the left field wall.

Washington State answered in the bottom of the first scoring a run on a sacrifice fly by Brett Jacobs. The Cougars had a chance for more but pinch hitter Nick Tanielu lined out to third baseman Ryan Hambrightwith the bases loaded to end the inning.

Oregon put together four straight one-out singles in the top of the second to score two runs. Connor Hofmann singled to center scoring Hambright who started the rally with a hit. Altobelli followed with a RBI single through the left field that Josh Graham scored from second on.

Both teams scored a run in the third to make it 4-3. Oregon run came when Aaron Payne scored on a throwing error on a bunt single by Mitchell Tolman. WSU got its run on a sacrifice fly.

Oregon added to the lead with a run in both the eighth and ninth innings. Scott Heineman doubled to left center in the eighth scoring Healy who reached on a throwing error to lead off the inning.

Mitchell Tolman picked up his 13th RBI of the road trip with a sacrifice fly in the ninth that scored Altobelli from third.

Oregon will look for the series sweep Sunday against Washington State (20-22, 7-13 Pac-12) Sunday at 12 p.m.

Oregon Ducks This Week:

Press Release from the U of O:

Oregon Freshman Mitchell Tollman
GoDucks.com

EVERETT, Wash. – Freshman Mitchell Tolman went 3-for-4 with seven RBI to lead No. 11 Oregon to a 12-7 non-conference win over Seattle in a non-conference game Saturday night.

Tolman finished with the most RBI by a Duck player since Jack Marder had eighth vs. Nevada on March 9, 2010.

Ryon Healy added three RBI while going 2-for-3 with two runs scored before leaving the game in the fourth inning after he was hit in the face by wild throw.  Brett Thomas and Aaron Payne both scored four runs with Payne going 2-for-4 at the plate with a walk, while Thomas was 1-for-2 with two walks. Ryan Hambright went 2-for-4 with a double and a triple.

Christian Jones (1-1) picked up the win in relief, while Derek Smith got his first career save allowing no runs over the final three innings.

Oregon took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first without the benefit of a hit. Kyle Doyle walked Thomas to lead off the game and then hit Payne to put runners on first and second. Healy moved the runners to second and third with a groundout to third and then Tolman picked up a RBI with a sacrifice fly to right field.

Seattle got the run back in the bottom of the first thanks to two hits and two walks by Oregon starter Jeff Gold. Brian Olson picked up the RBI with a single to center scoring Chase Fields who led off with a double.

Hambright, making his first start since March 13, opened the second with a triple off the wall in center field and scored on a sacrifice fly by Josh Graham to put the Ducks up 2-1.

Seattle answered again in the bottom of the second. Landon Cray’s two-out double to the right-center field wall scoring Fields to tie the game, 2-2.

Oregon pushed the lead to 5-2 in the third. Healy picked up two RBI with a double to left field scoring Thomas and Payne. Healy scored on a RBI ground out by Tolman.

Seattle matched Oregon’s three runs with three of its own in the third. Sean Narby, Cullen Hendrickson and Cash McGuire all had RBI to make it 5-5 after three innings.

Healy and Tolman combined to help Oregon score three more runs in the fourth, all with two outs. Healy singled and drove in Thomas to put the Ducks back in the lead 6-5. Tolman added a two-RBI single to left scoring Payne and Healy to give Oregon an 8-5 lead.

Seattle cut the lead to 8-6 with a run in the bottom of the fourth, but Oregon added two more in the sixth to push the lead to 10-6. Craig Meredith, playing for Healy, doubled driving in Payne. Tolman followed with his fifth RBI of the game scoring pinch runner Kevin Minjares with a single to left.

The Redhawks cut the lead to three in the bottom of the sixth, but the Ducks answered again behind the bat of Tolman. The freshman picked up his sixth and seventh RBI of the game with a single to right in the eighth to give Oregon a 12-7 lead.

The two teams wrap up their two-game series Wednesday with a game at 4 p.m. at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue.

Oregon Ducks This Week: