Breakfast baseball at MSU: Ducks take series

Three Oregon pitchers combined to throw a four-hitter as the Ducks earned a series win over Michigan State with a 3-1 victory Sunday.

First place Iowa lost to Washington Saturday, so the up-to-the minute Big Ten Standing have the Ducks in third at 16-8, two games behind in the loss column.

They come home for a two game series against St. Mary's Tuesday, then finish the regular season with three games at home versus Washington then three in Iowa the following weekend

Oregon worked Michigan State pitching for a run in the second and a run in the first to lead 2-0. Jason Reitz started on the mound, allowing just one base runner of the first four innings, a leadoff single in the first, retiring the next 13 batters he faced, 1-2-3 innings in the second, third and fourth with three strikeouts.

In the second shortstop Maddux Molony got aboard with two outs, hit by a pitch. Catcher Burke-Lee Mabeus brought him home with a double smashed down the left field line.

Good base running and hustle got the Ducks another run in the second. Parker Stinson singled with one out and took second on a bobble by the right fielder. He advanced to third on Jacob Walsh's groundout to third, then scored on a wild pitch.

Reitz gave up a leadoff single in the top of the fifth, but Mabeus erased the runner with a snap throw to first for the pickoff. Walsh took it himself on a groundout for out number two, then Reitz struck out JT Sokolove looking to end the inning, his fourth of the game.

After Oregon went down in order in the sixth, dh Noah Bright touched Reitz for a leadoff double. A bunt got Bright to third. He came home on a sacrifice fly to left.

The 6-11 righthander from Pioneer High School in San Jose Calif. by way of St. Mary's University (Moraga, Calif.) bore down and induced a groundout to end the inning, still leading 2-1.

The Ducks went 1-2-3 again in the 7th-- they hadn't had a hit since Stinson's single in the third, just three in the game, putting a lot of pressure on Reitz.

The Beanpole from the South Bay issued his first walk of the game to Caleb Berry leading off the home seventh. A bunt got the tying run to second with one out.

Mark Wasikowski brought Cole Stokes out of the pen, a fireballing righthander, 6-6, 230, with 27 strikeouts in 14.2 innings.

A grounder to Garate at third got the runner to third with two away. Stokes struck out right fielder Parker Picot for out number three and strand Berry at third. 2-1 in the 8th.

Garate lined out to second-- every well-hit ball seemed to be at somebody, until Mason Neville sent the first pitch he saw into left field for a single, wasted when Jeffery Heard struck the ball well but directly into a 4-6-3 double play.

Walsh made a nifty basket catch in foul ground. Five outs to go on a day runs were scarce. Stokes hit Bright to put the tying run on with one out. The Spartans sent up a pinch hitter Will Shannon, a .292 hitter.

Stokes sent him down swinging, out number two in the eighth, Spartan leadoff hitter Ryan McKay due up, their best stick at .331. With a 2-2 count Stokes missed inside. Full count, runner going, single up the middle, runners at the corners.

Stokes struck out third baseman Randy Seymour on three pitches to strand two.

Anson Arroz powered one down the left field line with two outs to give the Ducks a vital insurance run, a two-out solo home run, 3-1.

With a two-run lead Mark Wasikowski turned to Seth Mattox to close it out, the transfer from California Baptist going for his third save.

Hot smash to Garate at third. He throws on a hop to Walsh, who picks it clean for one out. Mattox got ahead of Busch 1-2, then gets a groundball to Cooney, two outs. Drew Smith squeezed a fly ball to end the game, Ducks 33-13 and 16-8.

Read More: