Friday, March 7
Irvine, Calif.
6:35 p.m.
University of Oregon
12-2, 1-0
7
at
2
USC
9-4, 0-1
1
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3
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5
6
7
8
9
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Oregon
1
3
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
7
10
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USC
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
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7
3
Photo by: Zoe Rivers
B1G Win
03/07/25 | Baseball
Irvine, Calif. — No. 10 Oregon scored in each of the first five innings to build an early lead while pitchers Grayson Grinsell and Jason Reitz combined to dominate on the mound in a 7-2 Big Ten Conference win at Great Park on Friday night.
The Ducks (12-2, 1-0 Big Ten) earned a win in their first ever Big Ten game.
Grinsell surrendered two runs in five innings, but he easily could have allowed none. Both runners who scored reached base on outfield misplays that were credited as hits.
The first came in the third inning when right-fielder Jeffery Heard called off second baseman Ryan Cooney on a high pop fly in shallow right but could not make the play. The second came on a routine fly ball to center field that ended up as a double after Mason Neville slipped on moist grass and could not recover to make the play.
Despite allowing the bad-luck runs, Grinsell (2-1) dominated striking out eight over five innings including two in each of the first four innings.
Reitz, who picked up the save in his first appearance out of the bullpen after starting each of the first three weekends, allowed just three hits and no runs in four innings of work with five Ks and just one walk.
How It Happened: Neville wasted no time putting Oregon on top. The Ducks center fielder launched the second pitch of the game over the right-field fence.
Oregon added to the lead in the top of the second, scoring three more runs. Back-to-back singles by Maddox Molony and Coen Niclai to lead off the frame set the table for the Ducks. Heard picked up the first RBI with a single to right scoring Molony, before Cooney added a squeeze bunt to score Niclai.
Carter Garate moved Heard to third while reaching on an error on a sacrifice bunt. Neville finished the scoring in the inning picking up his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly scoring Heard.
The Ducks pushed the lead to five with another run in the third. After Jacob Walsh reached on a single and stole second to get into scoring position, Niclai doubled into the left-field corner to pick up the two-out RBI.
After USC (9-4, 0-1 Big Ten) got on the board in their half of the inning, Oregon got the run right back. Garate doubled with one out and came around to score on a throwing error on a Neville hard-hit single off the first baseman's glove.
For the second inning in a row, USC got a run back thanks to a misplay in the outfield by the Ducks. For the second inning in a row, Oregon answered the miscue. Oregon manufactured a run with two outs when freshman pinch hitter Burke-Lee Mabeus walked and Heard reached on a hit-by-pitch allowing Cooney to deliver a clutch two-out RBI single.
Box Score Notes: Neville's home run was his eighth of the season … He has homered in seven of the 13 games he has played in … The home run was the 24th of his career at Oregon, moving him into a tie with Kenyon Yovan (2017-21) for sixth in school history … Grinsell ran his career total for strikeouts to 192, three shy of tying Cullen Kafka (2018-21) for seventh in program history … Walsh scored his 127th career run, tying him for fourth in school history with J.J. Altobelli (2010-13).
On Deck: The teams play game two of the series on Saturday with a 2:02 p.m. first pitch.
The Ducks (12-2, 1-0 Big Ten) earned a win in their first ever Big Ten game.
Grinsell surrendered two runs in five innings, but he easily could have allowed none. Both runners who scored reached base on outfield misplays that were credited as hits.
The first came in the third inning when right-fielder Jeffery Heard called off second baseman Ryan Cooney on a high pop fly in shallow right but could not make the play. The second came on a routine fly ball to center field that ended up as a double after Mason Neville slipped on moist grass and could not recover to make the play.
Despite allowing the bad-luck runs, Grinsell (2-1) dominated striking out eight over five innings including two in each of the first four innings.
Reitz, who picked up the save in his first appearance out of the bullpen after starting each of the first three weekends, allowed just three hits and no runs in four innings of work with five Ks and just one walk.
How It Happened: Neville wasted no time putting Oregon on top. The Ducks center fielder launched the second pitch of the game over the right-field fence.
Oregon added to the lead in the top of the second, scoring three more runs. Back-to-back singles by Maddox Molony and Coen Niclai to lead off the frame set the table for the Ducks. Heard picked up the first RBI with a single to right scoring Molony, before Cooney added a squeeze bunt to score Niclai.
Carter Garate moved Heard to third while reaching on an error on a sacrifice bunt. Neville finished the scoring in the inning picking up his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly scoring Heard.
The Ducks pushed the lead to five with another run in the third. After Jacob Walsh reached on a single and stole second to get into scoring position, Niclai doubled into the left-field corner to pick up the two-out RBI.
After USC (9-4, 0-1 Big Ten) got on the board in their half of the inning, Oregon got the run right back. Garate doubled with one out and came around to score on a throwing error on a Neville hard-hit single off the first baseman's glove.
For the second inning in a row, USC got a run back thanks to a misplay in the outfield by the Ducks. For the second inning in a row, Oregon answered the miscue. Oregon manufactured a run with two outs when freshman pinch hitter Burke-Lee Mabeus walked and Heard reached on a hit-by-pitch allowing Cooney to deliver a clutch two-out RBI single.
Box Score Notes: Neville's home run was his eighth of the season … He has homered in seven of the 13 games he has played in … The home run was the 24th of his career at Oregon, moving him into a tie with Kenyon Yovan (2017-21) for sixth in school history … Grinsell ran his career total for strikeouts to 192, three shy of tying Cullen Kafka (2018-21) for seventh in program history … Walsh scored his 127th career run, tying him for fourth in school history with J.J. Altobelli (2010-13).
On Deck: The teams play game two of the series on Saturday with a 2:02 p.m. first pitch.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Grinsell, Grayson (2-1)
L: Hunter, Caden (2-1)
S: Reitz, Jason (1)
Batting:
2B: Niclai, Coen 1 ; Garate, Carter 1
HR: Neville, Mason 1
RBI: Neville, Mason 2 ; Niclai, Coen 1 ; Heard, Jeffery 1 ; Cooney, Ryan 2
SH: Cooney, Ryan 1 ; Garate, Carter 1
SF: Neville, Mason 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Neville, Mason 1 ; Walsh, Jacob 1 ; Molony, Maddox 1 ; Niclai, Coen 1 ; Mabeus, Burke-Lee 1 ; Heard, Jeffery 1 ; Garate, Carter 1
SB: Neville, Mason 1 ; Walsh, Jacob 1
HBP: Heard, Jeffery 1
Batting:
2B: Grudzielanek, Bryce 1 ; Higgins, Kade 1 ; Covarrubias, Abbrie 1 ; Elliott, John 1
RBI: Grudzielanek, Bryce 1 ; Carpentier, Dean 1
SF: Carpentier, Dean 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Higgins, Kade 1 ; Elliott, John 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
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INF
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LHP
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OF
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C
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INF
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OF
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RHP
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1B
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