Bats Come Alive, Ducks Beat Utes

Saturday, March 19

Eugene, Ore.

2:00 PM

University of Oregon

9-6, 1-1

Utah

5-12, 1-1

Utah

Oregon

03/20/16 | Baseball

Box Score

By: GoDucks.com

EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon broke out of an offensive slump to score nine runs on a season-high 14 hits as the Ducks beat Utah, 9-5, to even the three-game series at a game apiece on Saturday at PK Park.

How It Happened: Trailing by three runs midway through the game, Oregon (9-6, 1-1 Pac-12) broke out for four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 6-5 lead. Austin Grebeck led off the inning with a triple, and Kyle Kasser brought him in with a RBI base hit. Steven Packard then drove in a run with a single, and Tim Susnara made a heads up play to race home and score after Utah argued a safe call on a fielder's choice. Travis Moniot capped the inning with an RBI base hit to give the Ducks the lead. Oregon tacked on three insurances runs in the seventh, with Grebeck picking up an RBI on a base hit and A.J. Balta driving in a pair with a bases loaded single to put Oregon up by four.

The freshmen bullpen duo of Isaiah Carranza (1-0) and Matt Mercer blanked the Utes over five innings to secure the win for the Ducks. Carranza picked up the win in relief, the first of his career.

Kasser gave the Ducks an early 1-0 lead in the first, lining a double down the left-field line to score Grebeck, who singled to open the inning. Utah (5-12, 1-1 Pac-12) took a one-run lead with a pair of runs in the fourth. Right fielder Andre Jackson worked a leadoff walk and advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt by Susnara before scoring on a groundout, and A.J. Young gave the Utes a 2-1 lead with a two-out RBI single. Matt Kroon and Jake Bennett had back-to-back base hits for UO in the bottom of the fourth, and Kroon scored from third to tie the game at 2-2 a balk by Utah starter Dalton Carroll (3-2). Utah took a 5-2 lead with three runs off of Oregon starter Matt Krook in the top of the fifth, opening the inning with three straight hits before Krook was pulled.

Three Ducks With Three Hits: A trio of Ducks checked in with three hits in the offensive outburst. Grebeck was 3-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored, raising his team-leading on-base percentage to .448 and taking over the team-lead in batting (.308). Kasser went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in his second start of the season, and Moniot checked in with a 3-for-5 day with an RBI and a run scored. Saturday marked the first three-hit game of the season for all three players, and gave the Ducks five as a team for the season. Packard, Kroon, Bennett and Balta checked in with the other five of the Ducks' season-high 14 hits.

Krook Gets No-Decision: Coming off an outing at Mississippi State in which he failed to get out of the first inning, Krook struggled with his command again against the Utes on Saturday. The left-hander held the Utes hitless through three, working around walks in both the second and the third, but a leadoff walk in the fourth led to a pair of runs and the Utes were able to start putting the bat on the ball. Krook finished the day having allowed five earned runs on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts over four innings pitched.

Notable: Grebeck's single in the first extended his hitting streak to eight games. He has reached base in all 15 games this year and the last 28 games straight dating back to last season …. Grebeck's triple in the fifth was his third of the season, and the sixth of his career … Bennett made his first start of the season, going 1-for-3 while playing right field … Balta's two RBI in the seventh raised his team-leading total to 15.

On Deck: The Ducks will send left-hander David Peterson (2-1, 1.40) to the mound on Sunday to try and secure a series win, while lefty Josh Lapiana (0-3, 4.43) is slated to throw for the Utes. First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. and will be aired on Pac-12 Networks.