The Oregon Ducks travel to Los Angeles Thursday to open their series against UCLA at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
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Oregon is playing a lot better then many people thought they would this season. They are coming off of their second series sweep of the season, that saw them handle USC. The series started off rather tight with a Ducks 4-3 win, however they opened things up in game 2 and 3 with scores of 12-8 and 8-5.
They hit a little bump in the road with a close 11-10 loss to in state rival Oregon State on Monday night. The Beavers who were the clear favorites to dominate the conference are quickly fading against Pac-12 opponents with a record of 6-6. It however was a strong showing against a team that has had a hold of baseball in Oregon. The Ducks currently sit in the 5th spot in the Pac-12 one spot ahead of the Beavers with a record of 17-13, 7-5 in Pac-12 play.
RT @OregonBaseball: We made it. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/xRoBBfLqh0
— Autzen Zoo (@Autzen_Zoo) April 21, 2016
Oregon is led by Matt Krook at the mound with a record of 3-1 and second on the team with 52 strikeouts. He looks to be a crucial part of Oregon rise in the Pac-12 and a someone they can really depend on in tough games. Jacob Bennett remains the only Oregon pitcher without a loss with a record of 2-0. At the plate, A.J. Balta is having a great season with 27 RBI’s and six home runs all tops for Oregon Ducks Batters. A close second is Steven Packard who also helps put runs on the board with 25 RBI’s and four home runs. So Oregon has plenty of firepower to put games away.
UCLA is struggling this season (15-18, 6-9 Pac-12) and remain near the bottom of the Pac-12. They are coming off a series loss to Washington, but won against Pepperdine 10-6 earlier this week. Oregon can take advantage of a slumping Bruins team.
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Oregon should improve their record against UCLA and maybe even get their third series sweep of the season. The three game series against the UCLA Bruins begins on Thursday(7pm Pacific Time), continues on Friday(7pm PT) and concludes on Saturday(1pm). All three games will be on the Pac-12 Network.