A close game got out of hand on Friday as the No. 11 Oregon Ducks broke out for 13 runs on 12 hits against UC Santa Barbara at PK Park. A six-run seventh inning all but sealed the 13-1 victory.
The Ducks (7-1) had hit just .211 through the first seven games of the season.
“We came out with a better mentality,” Craig-St. Louis said. “We were swinging at better pitches, waiting for our pitches… It showed up on the scoreboard.”
Cole Irvin earned his second win and lowered his ERA to 0.82 with another impressive line: five hits, one unearned run, a walk and six strikeouts in 8.0 innings.
“Honestly, I didn’t have focus until about the fifth inning,” Irvin said. “I couldn’t figure out my tempo, or anything, in the bullpen, and I just didn’t feel like it was a normal start today. But my defense saved me — a lot.”
Irvin got fired up after the Ducks ended the fourth inning with a beautifully-executed 7-2-4 double play to squash the Gauchos’ scoring threat. After UCSB’s J.J. Muno doubled with one out, left-fielder A.J. Balta gunned him at the plate trying to score from second on Kyle Plantier’s single to left. Catcher Tim Susnara laid down the tag, then fired the ball to second to catch Plantier from taking an extra bag.
“I was extremely excited,” Irvin said. “I probably did a couple things I’m a little regretful of towards the other team, so I apologize for that. But when we make great defensive plays, I’m as jazzed as everyone else.”
First baseman Phil Craig-St. Louis and second baseman Daniel Patzlaff made a handful of running and diving plays on the right side of the infield to keep the Gauchos’ offense at bay.
“The defense was spectacular, and Cole complemented that,” manager George Horton said.
Matt Kroon got the offense started with a line-drive single up the middle in the third inning. Daniel Patzlaff drove him home on a sacrifice line-drive to center to put the Ducks up 1-0.
Phil Craig-St. Louis extended Oregon’s lead to 2-0 with a booming solo home run to right in the fourth.
The Gauchos got on the board in the fifth after Michael McAdoo hit a one-out double to left field. Balta couldn’t cut the ball off from rolling to the fence and was charged with an error as McAdoo landed on third. McAdoo scored the next play on a sacrifice fly.
The Ducks added two runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend their lead to 4-1. Tim Susnara led off with a single to right-center and scored from first on Kroon’s double to left. Kroon scored on another sacrifice fly from Patzlaff.
Oregon put the game away in the seventh inning. Balta hit a lined shot that ricocheted off the second baseman and bounded into center field with the bases loaded. Two runs scored, and the day was over for Bieber after 6.2 innings, eight hits, six runs (five earned), five strikeouts and one walk.
But the Ducks weren’t done. They tacked on another run after back-to-back walks from reliever Kenny Chapman, then Steven Packard cleared the bases with a three-run double to right-center to go up 10-1.
The Ducks added three more runs in the eighth on Nick Catalano’s RBI groundout and Mark Karaviotis’ two-run single down the left field line.
“That was the first time I think we’ve seen — everyone’s seen — our team do everything together,” Irvin said. “When it’s all in one, it’s pretty special and pretty fun to watch.”
The Ducks take on UCSB again on Saturday at 12 p.m.