- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,129,275
- Reaction score
- 59
It all comes down to this. The No. 16 Oregon Ducks (37-15, 19-10 Big Ten) are looking to secure a series victory over the No. 17 USC Trojans (42-13, 20-9 Big Ten) on Saturday at PK Park.
The stakes are very clear. If the Ducks prevail, they can claim another series over a Quad 1 opponent and increase their odds to host a regional in Eugene. If they can't win on Saturday, the Ducks might be packing their bags and heading into hostile territory.
With a win, the Ducks would also earn the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament next week in Omaha, Nebraska. Oregon and USC would have the same conference record if the Ducks win on Saturday, and the Ducks would claim the tiebreaker.
The series began on Thursday with a rock fight at PK Park. USC rode a dominant performance from ace pitcher Mason Edwards to a 2-1 victory in 11 innings. The Ducks made it interesting late, pushing the game to extras thanks to a ninth-inning home run by Naulivou Lauaki Jr. to tie the game. However, Isaac Cadena's homer in the 11th sealed the deal for the Trojans.
Oregon evened things up on Friday thanks to homers by its freshmen sluggers. Brayden Jaksa hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning, and Lauaki followed with a solo shot of his own. That was enough for the Ducks to hold on and win 4-3.
Left-hander Miles Gosztola (2-3, 3.91 ERA) will throw the pill for the Ducks in the series finale. The Gonzaga transfer had one of his best outings of the season last weekend at UCLA, tossing 5 ⅓ innings and matching a career-high with nine strikeouts.
USC will hand the ball to right-hander Diego Velazquez (5-1, 3.04 ERA) for his fourth start of the season. The two-way player pitches to contact, but has allowed just one run in five appearances within the past month.
The Ducks will be without their skipper for the regular season finale. Mark Wasikowski left the team after Friday night's win to travel to see his daughter's college graduation in Indiana. Assistant coach Jack Marder will serve as the acting head coach.
Follow along with live inning-by-inning updates as the Ducks aim to secure their final regular-season series against the Trojans. First pitch is scheduled for 3:02 p.m. PST. The game will air live on Big Ten Network.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon battles USC in series rubber match; live updates and analysis
Continue reading...
The stakes are very clear. If the Ducks prevail, they can claim another series over a Quad 1 opponent and increase their odds to host a regional in Eugene. If they can't win on Saturday, the Ducks might be packing their bags and heading into hostile territory.
With a win, the Ducks would also earn the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament next week in Omaha, Nebraska. Oregon and USC would have the same conference record if the Ducks win on Saturday, and the Ducks would claim the tiebreaker.
The series began on Thursday with a rock fight at PK Park. USC rode a dominant performance from ace pitcher Mason Edwards to a 2-1 victory in 11 innings. The Ducks made it interesting late, pushing the game to extras thanks to a ninth-inning home run by Naulivou Lauaki Jr. to tie the game. However, Isaac Cadena's homer in the 11th sealed the deal for the Trojans.
Oregon evened things up on Friday thanks to homers by its freshmen sluggers. Brayden Jaksa hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning, and Lauaki followed with a solo shot of his own. That was enough for the Ducks to hold on and win 4-3.
Left-hander Miles Gosztola (2-3, 3.91 ERA) will throw the pill for the Ducks in the series finale. The Gonzaga transfer had one of his best outings of the season last weekend at UCLA, tossing 5 ⅓ innings and matching a career-high with nine strikeouts.
USC will hand the ball to right-hander Diego Velazquez (5-1, 3.04 ERA) for his fourth start of the season. The two-way player pitches to contact, but has allowed just one run in five appearances within the past month.
The Ducks will be without their skipper for the regular season finale. Mark Wasikowski left the team after Friday night's win to travel to see his daughter's college graduation in Indiana. Assistant coach Jack Marder will serve as the acting head coach.
Follow along with live inning-by-inning updates as the Ducks aim to secure their final regular-season series against the Trojans. First pitch is scheduled for 3:02 p.m. PST. The game will air live on Big Ten Network.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon battles USC in series rubber match; live updates and analysis
Continue reading...
