Last Wednesday Jeff Gold didn’t even know that today’s start could be for the 900th win of George Horton’s career as a head coach.
“That’s awesome,” Gold said. “Hopefully it lines up like that.”
It did indeed line up that way for Gold as the Ducks had won the first three games of the four-game series. Gold did more than enough for Horton and the Ducks, who beat the Rainbow Warriors 10-2 to complete the series sweep. Gold lasted 6.0 innings giving up just one run on five hits while striking out two.
After starting the series and his season 0-for-14 at the plate, Scott Heineman led off the game with a single in the first inning to start an early Oregon rally. Heineman stole second base later in the inning and scored on a Mitchell Tolman single. Tyler Baumgartner ended up on second and, moments later, would complete a double steal with Tolman. Redshirt junior Kyle Garlick came up next and hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Baumgartner.
The Ducks would hold the lead the entirety of the game. They tallied two more runs in the third inning when Heineman again started the rally with a leadoff single. After a one out single from Tyler Baumgartner off of Hawaii starting pitcher Scott Kuzminsky, Heineman scored on a Kuzminsky wild pitch. Baumgartner moved over to third base on the play. That set up Tolman, who then grounded out to first but Baumgartner was still able to score on the play.
Gold continued to control the game on the mound. However, the Rainbow Warriors got on the scoreboard in the fifth. With two outs and runners on first and second, Jordan Richartz connected for a single to left field scoring Stephen Ventimilia from second. Gold wouldn’t allow anything more from the Rainbow Warriors, though, and after six innings, he left the game with the lead.
The game stayed fairly close at 4-1 until the Ducks broke the game wide open in the eighth. Oregon scored six runs that inning, starting with Heineman, yet again. Heineman doubled to left center and scored on a Baumgartner single later in the inning.
There was a scary moment in the 8th inning when Tolman was hit by a pitch on the helmet. Tolman went down as Horton and his training staff hurried out to check on him. Tolman, though, would stay in the game and score in the inning. The Ducks totaled six runs on four hits and there were two Hawaii errors in the inning.
Southpaw sophomore Porter Clayton and senior Brando Tessar both pitched clean innings in relief of Gold. Junior Jack Karraker pitched the bottom of the ninth inning for the Ducks with a 10-1 lead. But Karraker struggled in the inning, giving up three straight hits to start the ninth. Karraker would get out of the inning, though, giving up just one run.
The Ducks, like last year, swept Hawaii for the opening series of the season. Jeff Gold (1-0) was awarded with the win. Kuzminsky (0-1) is charged for the loss.
The Ducks will play next on Friday, Feb. 21 in a three-game series against Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, Calif.
Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3