Ducks even series in East Lansing with hit barrage

Oregon pounded out 18 hits with two home runs by Mason Neville, solo shots by Jacob Walsh and Anson Arroz to overwhelm the Spartans 13-5 at Kobs Field in East Lansing Saturday afternoon.

After putting up a string of zeroes Friday night, they scored in every inning but the second and third. For Neville, his pair of two-run blasts give him 23 on the year, tops in NCAA D-1 baseball.

Starter Collin Clarke gave the Ducks six innings on the mound, four runs, three earned. He struck out five, walked two and allowed five hits. Most importantly, he settled down to pitch a scoreless 4th, 5th and 6th after MSU tied the game 4-4 in the 3rd.

Oregon scored four runs on four hits in the top of the first, sending nine men to the plate. Neville led off with a walk, then Hellman doubled down the left field line. Drew Smith singled to left center to score Neville then stole second. After Molony walked, Burke-Lee Mabeus and Ryan Cooney followed with RBI singles.

Cooney's single caromed off the ump.

Collin Clarke walked the leadoff hitter in the first but the reliable double play combination of Molony to Cooney to Walsh erased the threat.

Michigan State tied the score with two-run rallies in the second and third, aided by two Oregon errors. Catcher Noah Bright belted a two-out, two run triple in the third.

Hot-hitting Ryan Cooney singled to center to lead off the fifth. Chase Garate sent him to third with a perfectly-executed hit-and-run, a single to right center to put runners on the corners. That chased the Spartan starting pitcher Farquhar.

The reliever Viebrock gifted the Ducks a run by overthrowing first on a comebacker to the mound. A slow roller to the mound scored Chase Garate for a 6-4 lead and an RBI for Hellman. With the infield in Walsh bounced to second, but the Spartans threw home to cut down Mason Neville for the second out.

A walk and an infield single loaded the bases but Maddox Molony flied out to left.

Clarke set Michigan State down in order in the fourth.

Ryan Cooney led off the fifth with a double up the berm in right. Two outs later Mason Neville extended Oregon's lead to 8-4 with his NCAA-leading 22nd home run.

Clarke got the first two outs of the fifth on groundouts, staying poised after Cooney bobbled a tough chance to induce a first-pitch popup to short, his second inning scoreless since losing and then regaining the lead.

Jacob Walsh sent the first pitch he saw into the trees beyond the right field fence, the 56th homer of his Oregon career, breaking his own school record. 9-4, Ducks.

The Ducks practiced for playoff baseball in the seventh, manufacturing a run on an infield single by Mabeus who stole second and went to third on a long fly ball to right by Cooney. Chase Garate laid down a squeeze bunt to score him for a 10-4 bulge.

Ian Umlandt came on to pitch the 7th. A one-pitch groundout to short, a double, a single against the shift, a fielder's choice and a groundout to second ended the inning, the Ducks trading a run for three outs as the had the Spartans doubled up 10-5 with six outs to go.

Anson Arroz bashed a solo home run in the top of the 8th, his 12th of the year.

In the Spartan half they scratched out two singles but Umlandt shut the door with two ground balls, each good for a fielder's choice followed by a flyout to end the inning.

Umlandt pitched a 1-2-3 9th, earning a three-inning save. The Pride of Sherwood has been a solid contributor in a versatile role for Mark Wasikowski, long relief and spot starting. Today's stint brought his season ERA to 2.08.

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