Baseball Recap: Streaking Ducks Corral Broncos, 10-0

EUGENE, Oregon— Gabe Matthews went 4-4 with three RBIs, starter Matt Mercer pitched seven magnificent innings, and Oregon rolled over Santa Clara 10-0 for their fifth win in a row Saturday afternoon in game number three of their four game series at PK Park.

The offense could do no wrong Saturday, pounding out fifteen hits, including a double by freshman second baseman Morgan McCullough, an RBI triple by freshman catcher Matthew Dyer, and a solo home run by freshman DH Matthews, his first of the season. The Ducks chased Santa Clara starter Grant Nechak (1-3) in the fourth after giving up five runs on eight hits, but the Broncos found no relief in their bullpen, as Oregon tacked on five more runs off three separate relievers.

Sophomore right hander Mercer (2-1) had the second consecutive stellar start for the Ducks, throwing seven shutout innings while giving up only three hits and striking out five without issuing a walk. Lefties junior Jesse Hobaica and freshman Nico Tellache came in from the bullpen and pitched a scoreless inning each to close out the proceedings.

Oregon (10-4) and Santa Clara (3-11) will play one final game at PK Park on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 pm.

Game notes: Matthews’ big day raised his season average to a team-leading .406, good for seventh in the conference... McCullough drew two more walks on the day, giving him thirteen on the season, putting him in a three-way tie for first place in the PAC-12... Mercer’s performance lowered his ERA to 1.54 to lead all Duck starters... Despite hitting an anemic .263 as a team, the Ducks are currently third in the conference in On Base Percentage at .398, thanks to their league-leading 80 Bases on Balls and 25 Hit By Pitches... The win was coach George Horton’s 300th of his Oregon coaching tenure...