Saturday, February 24
Eugene, Ore.
12:05 PM
University of Oregon
4-1
15
vs
4
Lafayette
0-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Lafayette
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
4
3
2
Oregon
1
0
6
1
6
0
1
0
X
15
13
1
Photo by: Deborah Mundorff
Ducks Sweep Doubleheader, Clinch Series Win
02/24/24 | Baseball
EUGENE, Ore. — Justin Cassella and Jacob Walsh combined for 10 RBI in game one, while Jeffery Heard homered and doubled in the night cap while driving in a pair of runs to lead Oregon to a doubleheader sweep over Lafayette, 17-4 and 7-4, on Saturday at PK Park.
Seven Oregon pitchers combined for 28 strikeouts in the double dip with 16 of them coming in the first game.
Game 1: Oregon 15, Lafayette 4
Justin Cassella hit two of Oregon's three home runs and three Oregon pitchers combined to fan 16 Leopards as Oregon picked up a win in game one of a doubleheader.
Cassella paced Oregon's offense going 2-for-4 with five RBI and a run scored while Jacob Walsh went 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, five RBI and a run scored.
Starting pitcher Grayson Grinsell struck out a career-high 10 in four innings of work while freshman Ryan Featherston fanned five while picking up his first career win.
How It Happened:
Oregon did not waste any time jumping on top early. Leadoff batter Cassella lined the fourth pitch he saw over the left-field wall in the bottom of the first for a 1-0 lead.
Lafayette tied the game with a solo homer in the second, but the Ducks busted it open in the bottom of the third putting six runs on the board. After back-to-back hit-by-pitches to lead off the inning, Heard put the Ducks back on top with a single through the right side that plated Chase Meggers.
Bennett Thompson made it 3-1 with a RBI single scoring Drew Smith before Heard scored on a Walsh sacrifice fly giving Oregon a three-run lead. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Carter Garate drove in a pair of runs with a one-out single to right field. Cassella followed with his second RBI of the day on a sacrifice fly to the wall in center field to make it 7-1.
The Ducks tacked on an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth. After Thompson reached on a passed ball after striking out, Walsh doubled into the right-field corner to put Oregon on top 8-1.
Oregon added six more runs in the bottom of the fifth with the first three coming on Cassella's second home run of the game. Drew Smith scored on a two-out throwing error and a Thompson ground ball to the third baseman. Walsh capped the inning with a 2-run home run with a laser over the right-field wall.
The Leopards got two runs back in the top of the sixth on a 2-run homer, before Oregon added another run in the bottom of the seventh. After Mason Neville reached on a base hit, Walsh drove him in from first with a double off the top of the left-field wall that missed being his second home run by inches.
Game 1 Box Score Note: The pitching staff's 16 strikeouts were the most by a Ducks team since the 2021 staff fanned 20 against New Mexico State on April 3, 2021 … Grinsell became the first Ducks' pitcher with 10-or-more Ks since Robert Ahlstrom had 10 vs. Stanford on May 21, 2021 … Cassella became the first Duck to hit two homers in a game since Bennett Thompson did it vs. Oral Roberts in last year's Super Regionals.
Game 2: Oregon 7, Lafayette 4
Heard went 3-for-4 with a home run and a double and drove in a pair of runs to help lead Oregon to the sweep. Four Oregon pitchers combined to strike out 12 Lafayette hitters with Michael Freund picking up his first career win as a Duck.
How It Happened:
For the second straight game Oregon took an early lead, this time scoring three runs in the second inning. Ryan Cooney gave the Ducks the lead delivering on a hit-and-run with a line shot to left field that plated Thompson. The Ducks were gifted two more in the inning when Lafayette second baseman Blaze Fadio misplayed a routine ground ball with the bases loaded allowing Bryce Boettcher and Cooney to score.
Heard added to the lead in the bottom of the third with his first career home run as a Duck, a monster shot over the wall in center field.
Lafayette cut the lead to 4-3 with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth, before the Ducks answered with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to push the lead to four. Cassella sparked the rally reaching base on a walk before stealing both second and third while Neville drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Oregon then executed a successful double steal with Neville breaking for second on a Leopard pickoff play and Cassella breaking for home when Lafayette first baseman Ethan Swidler was caught between first and second holding the ball.
Neville then scored on a Leopard throwing error on a Jack Brooks sacrifice bunt. Heard picked up his second RBI of the game doubling to left-center field scoring Brooks.
Game 2 Box Score Notes: Cassella stole three bases, the first Duck to accomplish that feat since Boettcher on April 26, 2023 … Lafayette stranded 11 runners on base, including leaving the bases loaded in both the sixth and ninth innings.
On Deck: The Ducks and Leopards wrap up their four-game series on Sunday with a 12:05 p.m. first pitch.
Quotes:
Head Coach Mark Wasikowski:
Toby Twist first start thoughts:
"Parts of it I liked and there were parts of youth as well. There was some immaturity, his arm was great. He's a competitive son of a gun and I love that. He made some really big pitches. His pitch count got up there pretty good because I don't think he was super efficient. I think he got emotional, sometimes it worked for him and sometimes against him. Overall, just really excited about the fact that he looked like he could be a big-time starter for us. He showed that in spurts today so there is plenty to build on."
On Grayson Grinsell's performance and his role moving forward:
"He looked like a Friday guy. We're trying to figure out the rotation and he is clearly an option for that role as the Friday guy."
On Bradley Mullan's performance:
"He looked old. We played young in the second game and he looked old. He looked poised and under control. He made pitches when he needed to and he kept making big pitches. He pitched old on a team that has a lot of youth, whether they're young or just inexperienced. That's what we have and today we saw in a game that had some youth and inexperience, Bradley (Mullan) was able to settle things down and he was the player of the game in the second game."
On Jeffery Heard's performance today:
"I liked what you like and I like what everybody sees and likes in him. He's a wonderful human being first off. We've taken him out of games and he doesn't make a stink and he doesn't do this and the way he's been playing, boy he is just really playing and hitting well. He fills up the box with confidence. He's a poised player and looks like Bradley Mullan when showing confidence and being poised. That's exactly what he looks like when he gets in the box right now. At the beginning of the year we were batting him closer to the bottom of the order and he's earned a lot of respect and trust from his teammates and coaches to be in the middle of the order and he's killing it there too. "
Grayson Grinsell:
On his performance today:
"I felt good, I just wanted to go out there and throw the ball over the plate and let the guys behind me do the dirty work."
On his confidence in pitch calling:
"I love the pitch com machine, it keeps the tempo of the game going well. The amount of hours our coaches put into the scouting report and film and everything, I have 100% faith in everything they call."
Justin Casella
On hitting approach clicking
"A great plan set by the coaches, we knew what pitchers were coming in so everyone got a good scouting report. As a team we put some really good at bats together and it was really successful."
On success at the plate, hitting balls hard
"Definitely love to see those fall, but that's just how the game works, you know. You have to take those as wins because if you can't have wins with that the game will eat you up really fast."
On confidence in leadoff spot
"I've hit there before, I don't mind it, I'm just trying to do whatever for the team. Get some good at bats and extend some of my at-bats so the guys later in the order can see what that pitcher is doing and create more opportunities for them."
On the new crowd and new stadium
"It was amazing. I mean the crowd really showed out and I really appreciate that, it's awesome. So many fans out there that'll scream your name and that's kind of new to me, so I appreciate that. I'm happy that everyone came out in support, it was really great."
On the adjustment of moving from Center to Left Field
"It's an adjustment for sure, but all of us outfielders have worked really hard at every position so there's nothing new, and just kind of small adjustments in the way the balls tailing away from you and stuff like that. But nothing that our coaches didn't teach us."
On attentiveness throughout the game
"Adds a big statement for us and staying locked in throughout the game is just really important. Not letting a score dictate how we're going to play and just trying to win every single inning not looking at the score."
Jacob Walsh
Thoughts on hitting performance.
"I feel good, just sticking to my approach and when I do that good things happen."
Thoughts on playing at PK Park
"PK is awesome, best place to play- especially when the sun's out. We've been blessed this weekend, so yeah, I love this place."
Thoughts on position players coming together
"We're a young group, but we have an unbelievable amount of talent. We're starting to click and we're putting it all together and I'm excited to see what we can do."
On facing Lafayette's best pitcher, topping at 97
"Yeah, definitely had good stuff, but we face that every weekend. That's an average PAC weekend guy. So, just sticking to our approach and you know, sinker guy getting balls up and getting good pitches to hit is what the emphasis was in the dugout."
Thoughts on dugout energy
"That's a huge emphasis with our coaches, dugout plays just as big a role as the guys do out on the field. So, making sure that's always going and having energy is super important."
Seven Oregon pitchers combined for 28 strikeouts in the double dip with 16 of them coming in the first game.
Game 1: Oregon 15, Lafayette 4
Justin Cassella hit two of Oregon's three home runs and three Oregon pitchers combined to fan 16 Leopards as Oregon picked up a win in game one of a doubleheader.
Cassella paced Oregon's offense going 2-for-4 with five RBI and a run scored while Jacob Walsh went 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, five RBI and a run scored.
Starting pitcher Grayson Grinsell struck out a career-high 10 in four innings of work while freshman Ryan Featherston fanned five while picking up his first career win.
How It Happened:
Oregon did not waste any time jumping on top early. Leadoff batter Cassella lined the fourth pitch he saw over the left-field wall in the bottom of the first for a 1-0 lead.
Lafayette tied the game with a solo homer in the second, but the Ducks busted it open in the bottom of the third putting six runs on the board. After back-to-back hit-by-pitches to lead off the inning, Heard put the Ducks back on top with a single through the right side that plated Chase Meggers.
Bennett Thompson made it 3-1 with a RBI single scoring Drew Smith before Heard scored on a Walsh sacrifice fly giving Oregon a three-run lead. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Carter Garate drove in a pair of runs with a one-out single to right field. Cassella followed with his second RBI of the day on a sacrifice fly to the wall in center field to make it 7-1.
The Ducks tacked on an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth. After Thompson reached on a passed ball after striking out, Walsh doubled into the right-field corner to put Oregon on top 8-1.
Oregon added six more runs in the bottom of the fifth with the first three coming on Cassella's second home run of the game. Drew Smith scored on a two-out throwing error and a Thompson ground ball to the third baseman. Walsh capped the inning with a 2-run home run with a laser over the right-field wall.
The Leopards got two runs back in the top of the sixth on a 2-run homer, before Oregon added another run in the bottom of the seventh. After Mason Neville reached on a base hit, Walsh drove him in from first with a double off the top of the left-field wall that missed being his second home run by inches.
Game 1 Box Score Note: The pitching staff's 16 strikeouts were the most by a Ducks team since the 2021 staff fanned 20 against New Mexico State on April 3, 2021 … Grinsell became the first Ducks' pitcher with 10-or-more Ks since Robert Ahlstrom had 10 vs. Stanford on May 21, 2021 … Cassella became the first Duck to hit two homers in a game since Bennett Thompson did it vs. Oral Roberts in last year's Super Regionals.
Game 2: Oregon 7, Lafayette 4
Heard went 3-for-4 with a home run and a double and drove in a pair of runs to help lead Oregon to the sweep. Four Oregon pitchers combined to strike out 12 Lafayette hitters with Michael Freund picking up his first career win as a Duck.
How It Happened:
For the second straight game Oregon took an early lead, this time scoring three runs in the second inning. Ryan Cooney gave the Ducks the lead delivering on a hit-and-run with a line shot to left field that plated Thompson. The Ducks were gifted two more in the inning when Lafayette second baseman Blaze Fadio misplayed a routine ground ball with the bases loaded allowing Bryce Boettcher and Cooney to score.
Heard added to the lead in the bottom of the third with his first career home run as a Duck, a monster shot over the wall in center field.
Lafayette cut the lead to 4-3 with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth, before the Ducks answered with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to push the lead to four. Cassella sparked the rally reaching base on a walk before stealing both second and third while Neville drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Oregon then executed a successful double steal with Neville breaking for second on a Leopard pickoff play and Cassella breaking for home when Lafayette first baseman Ethan Swidler was caught between first and second holding the ball.
Neville then scored on a Leopard throwing error on a Jack Brooks sacrifice bunt. Heard picked up his second RBI of the game doubling to left-center field scoring Brooks.
Game 2 Box Score Notes: Cassella stole three bases, the first Duck to accomplish that feat since Boettcher on April 26, 2023 … Lafayette stranded 11 runners on base, including leaving the bases loaded in both the sixth and ninth innings.
On Deck: The Ducks and Leopards wrap up their four-game series on Sunday with a 12:05 p.m. first pitch.
Quotes:
Head Coach Mark Wasikowski:
Toby Twist first start thoughts:
"Parts of it I liked and there were parts of youth as well. There was some immaturity, his arm was great. He's a competitive son of a gun and I love that. He made some really big pitches. His pitch count got up there pretty good because I don't think he was super efficient. I think he got emotional, sometimes it worked for him and sometimes against him. Overall, just really excited about the fact that he looked like he could be a big-time starter for us. He showed that in spurts today so there is plenty to build on."
On Grayson Grinsell's performance and his role moving forward:
"He looked like a Friday guy. We're trying to figure out the rotation and he is clearly an option for that role as the Friday guy."
On Bradley Mullan's performance:
"He looked old. We played young in the second game and he looked old. He looked poised and under control. He made pitches when he needed to and he kept making big pitches. He pitched old on a team that has a lot of youth, whether they're young or just inexperienced. That's what we have and today we saw in a game that had some youth and inexperience, Bradley (Mullan) was able to settle things down and he was the player of the game in the second game."
On Jeffery Heard's performance today:
"I liked what you like and I like what everybody sees and likes in him. He's a wonderful human being first off. We've taken him out of games and he doesn't make a stink and he doesn't do this and the way he's been playing, boy he is just really playing and hitting well. He fills up the box with confidence. He's a poised player and looks like Bradley Mullan when showing confidence and being poised. That's exactly what he looks like when he gets in the box right now. At the beginning of the year we were batting him closer to the bottom of the order and he's earned a lot of respect and trust from his teammates and coaches to be in the middle of the order and he's killing it there too. "
Grayson Grinsell:
On his performance today:
"I felt good, I just wanted to go out there and throw the ball over the plate and let the guys behind me do the dirty work."
On his confidence in pitch calling:
"I love the pitch com machine, it keeps the tempo of the game going well. The amount of hours our coaches put into the scouting report and film and everything, I have 100% faith in everything they call."
Justin Casella
On hitting approach clicking
"A great plan set by the coaches, we knew what pitchers were coming in so everyone got a good scouting report. As a team we put some really good at bats together and it was really successful."
On success at the plate, hitting balls hard
"Definitely love to see those fall, but that's just how the game works, you know. You have to take those as wins because if you can't have wins with that the game will eat you up really fast."
On confidence in leadoff spot
"I've hit there before, I don't mind it, I'm just trying to do whatever for the team. Get some good at bats and extend some of my at-bats so the guys later in the order can see what that pitcher is doing and create more opportunities for them."
On the new crowd and new stadium
"It was amazing. I mean the crowd really showed out and I really appreciate that, it's awesome. So many fans out there that'll scream your name and that's kind of new to me, so I appreciate that. I'm happy that everyone came out in support, it was really great."
On the adjustment of moving from Center to Left Field
"It's an adjustment for sure, but all of us outfielders have worked really hard at every position so there's nothing new, and just kind of small adjustments in the way the balls tailing away from you and stuff like that. But nothing that our coaches didn't teach us."
On attentiveness throughout the game
"Adds a big statement for us and staying locked in throughout the game is just really important. Not letting a score dictate how we're going to play and just trying to win every single inning not looking at the score."
Jacob Walsh
Thoughts on hitting performance.
"I feel good, just sticking to my approach and when I do that good things happen."
Thoughts on playing at PK Park
"PK is awesome, best place to play- especially when the sun's out. We've been blessed this weekend, so yeah, I love this place."
Thoughts on position players coming together
"We're a young group, but we have an unbelievable amount of talent. We're starting to click and we're putting it all together and I'm excited to see what we can do."
On facing Lafayette's best pitcher, topping at 97
"Yeah, definitely had good stuff, but we face that every weekend. That's an average PAC weekend guy. So, just sticking to our approach and you know, sinker guy getting balls up and getting good pitches to hit is what the emphasis was in the dugout."
Thoughts on dugout energy
"That's a huge emphasis with our coaches, dugout plays just as big a role as the guys do out on the field. So, making sure that's always going and having energy is super important."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Featherston, Ryan (1-0)
L: Tristan Helmick (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Michael Zarrillo 1
HR: Ben Petrone 2
RBI: Ben Petrone 3
SH: Matt Colella 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Michael Zarrillo 1 ; Ben Petrone 2 ; Teddy Cashman 1
HBP: Luke Caucci 2 ; Matt Colella 1
Batting:
2B: Walsh, Jacob 2
HR: Cassella, Justin 2 ; Walsh, Jacob 1
RBI: Cassella, Justin 5 ; Heard, Jeffery 1 ; Thompson, Bennett 1 ; Walsh, Jacob 5 ; Garate, Carter 2
SF: Cassella, Justin 1 ; Walsh, Jacob 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cassella, Justin 2 ; Meggers, Chase 1 ; Smith, Drew 2 ; Heard, Jeffery 1 ; Neville, Mason 1 ; Thompson, Bennett 3 ; Walsh, Jacob 1 ; Brooks, Jack 1 ; Boettcher, Bryce 2 ; Garate, Carter 1
SB: Smith, Drew 1
HBP: Cassella, Justin 1 ; Meggers, Chase 2 ; Smith, Drew 1 ; Thompson, Bennett 1 ; Garate, Carter 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
5
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
5
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
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RHP
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RHP
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LHP
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OF
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C
/ Baseball
LHP
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OF
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INF
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C
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LHP
/ Baseball1B
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