Tuesday, March 10
Eugene, Ore.
3:05 p.m.
University of Oregon
13-3
10
vs
0
Xavier
5-12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
R
H
E
Xavier
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
Oregon
0
5
1
2
1
0
0
1
10
11
1
Photo by: David Hammel
Ducks Run Rule Xavier in Win
03/10/26 | Baseball
EUGENE, Ore. — Jax Gimenez belted a grand slam while three Oregon pitchers combined on a one-hitter in Oregon's 10-0 (8-inning) win over Xavier in game one of their two-game midweek nonconference series at PK Park on Tuesday.
Toby Twist, making his second start of the season, surrendered just one hit in five innings of work to pick up the win. Twist (2-0) matched a career high in innings pitched while also tying his career best with six strikeouts.
Tanner Bradley and Blake Crawford combined to toss three hitless innings out of the bullpen with both striking out three Musketeer batters.
Gimenez hit one of two Oregon homers in the game. Drew Smith added his sixth long ball of the season to tie freshman Angel Laya or the team lead.
How It Happened: Oregon (13-3) jumped out early, scoring five runs in the bottom of the second. After Smith walked and Laya singled to put runners on the corners, Burke-Lee Mabeus drove in Smith with an infield hit to the second baseman. Ryan Cooney loaded the bases with a bunt single, before Gimenez belted a 384-foot blast over the center-field wall for a grand slam and a 5-0 lead.
Oregon tacked on another run in the third inning when Smith led off the frame and hit the first pitch he saw 420 feet over the scoreboard in left field.
The Ducks added two more runs in the fourth inning to push the lead to 8-0 without the benefit of a hit. UO loaded the bases with a walk, hit-by-pitch and a throwing error on a force play at second. A Gabe Miranda ground out and a Maddox Molony sacrifice fly to right field drove in the runs.
The Ducks swiped another run in the fifth. With two outs, Brayden Jaksa intentionally got in a rundown while attempting to steal second. Mabeus took advantage and scored from third before Jaksa was tagged out.
The Ducks finished Xavier (5-12) off in the bottom of the eighth. Cooney reached on an infield single and moved to second on Gimenez's second hit of the day. Pinch hitter Naulivou Lauaki Jr. then collected his second pinch hit in as many games driving in Cooney to end the game.
Box Score Notes: Jaksa made his first career start in right field while Laya started his first game in left field … Gimenez's grand slam was the third hit this season by the Ducks … Gimenez, Cooney, Miranda and Mabeus all finished with two hits … Oregon's pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts, the 10th time this season Oregon has double-digit strikeouts …
On Deck: The Ducks and Musketeers wrap up their two-game midweek series on Wednesday. First pitch is at 3:05 p.m.
Quotes:
Head Coach Mark Wasikowski
On if Toby Twist is emerging as a mid-week starter…
"I don't know, good question. We'll probably break that down and talk about it in the coaches' room. Toby is really good. He wasn't super sharp at the beginning, but he was able to find it. He turned what was a bit of an interesting start into something that was really positive and productive for him. We got the win. He pitched well and really found his rhythm. It took him a little bit to get a feel for things. I was just happy with his resilience."
On what he liked from the bullpen pitchers…
"There is a lot of talent down there. I've said it a lot: the experience piece is a big thing. We don't have a bunch of guys who have a ton of experience. The only way they are going to get that experience is to actually pitch in these games. Every day is good from an experience standpoint. It's not totally pretty and smooth yet, but I hope they continue to progress by the end of the year. There is a lot of arm talent down there."
On what he liked from Brayden Jaksa at centerfield and why Jack Brooks wasn't there…
"Jack Brooks went into the wall the other day at Purdue. He is not 100% right now. Nevertheless, Jack was our starting centerfielder, so we needed to make adjustments. Brayden Jaksa is a really talented player and getting him more plate appearances and finding places for him to play is great."
On how big Gimenez's second home run with the Ducks is…
"It's really big. He is a talented player and a really athletic kid. His having more experience now and gaining more experience by the day is only going to help him and us as a team."
Toby Twist
On his defense being able to support him...
"It's great. I feel comfortable with the guys behind me while I'm making my pitches."
On getting more strikeouts without giving up runs...
"Nothing changes. Strikeouts happen. I just try to make pitches and get ahead when I can to bury guys."
On a shaky first inning...
"It was a weird first inning. I was getting behind in counts and things weren't going my way, but it was good to get ahead."
Jax Gimenez
On his grand slam and good team performance...
"I think the biggest thing is the team performance. Last week our biggest thing was the day after an off day, making sure we show up midweek. With back-to-back weeks coming back from being on the road, last week we didn't show up. I think we beat ourselves last week, and the goal was to come out and play our game today, and we did that really well. Overall, I liked how we bounced back this week as a team."
On batting behind great players...
"I bat behind Ryan Cooney, who's one of the best lead-off hitters in the country, and I have Dominic Hellman and the rest of the team behind me to help clean it up. It helps when you're surrounded by those guys, and everyone, top to bottom, does their job. When we do our job, we're good, but it doesn't hurt to come up with the bases loaded and be able to get guys home.
On his thoughts of his increased performance...
"I try to do what I do well. I feel like when I play my game, I'm successful. It's still early in the year, so I can continue to learn a lot. There's a lot of season left ahead. There are things today, both offensively and defensively, that I could've done better, so I'll keep continuing to grow from each game, but I think I've done a good job at that so far."
On gaining power while staying efficient...
"I think I'm at my best in two-strike hitting, bunting, slashing, doing whatever it is I need to be doing. I need to execute what is being called. I'm not trying to hit home runs, that's when I am at my worst. I try to keep the ball low right through the middle of the field. I think that's done in the weight room. I try not to overswing. Today, I struck out at my first at bat. I think I was doing too much and chasing the 3-2 pitch for a strikeout. For my second at bat, I tried to get a good swing on it, which is where the power comes. I think I'll keep continuing to elevate my hits and the power will come from that."
Toby Twist, making his second start of the season, surrendered just one hit in five innings of work to pick up the win. Twist (2-0) matched a career high in innings pitched while also tying his career best with six strikeouts.
Tanner Bradley and Blake Crawford combined to toss three hitless innings out of the bullpen with both striking out three Musketeer batters.
Gimenez hit one of two Oregon homers in the game. Drew Smith added his sixth long ball of the season to tie freshman Angel Laya or the team lead.
How It Happened: Oregon (13-3) jumped out early, scoring five runs in the bottom of the second. After Smith walked and Laya singled to put runners on the corners, Burke-Lee Mabeus drove in Smith with an infield hit to the second baseman. Ryan Cooney loaded the bases with a bunt single, before Gimenez belted a 384-foot blast over the center-field wall for a grand slam and a 5-0 lead.
Oregon tacked on another run in the third inning when Smith led off the frame and hit the first pitch he saw 420 feet over the scoreboard in left field.
The Ducks added two more runs in the fourth inning to push the lead to 8-0 without the benefit of a hit. UO loaded the bases with a walk, hit-by-pitch and a throwing error on a force play at second. A Gabe Miranda ground out and a Maddox Molony sacrifice fly to right field drove in the runs.
The Ducks swiped another run in the fifth. With two outs, Brayden Jaksa intentionally got in a rundown while attempting to steal second. Mabeus took advantage and scored from third before Jaksa was tagged out.
The Ducks finished Xavier (5-12) off in the bottom of the eighth. Cooney reached on an infield single and moved to second on Gimenez's second hit of the day. Pinch hitter Naulivou Lauaki Jr. then collected his second pinch hit in as many games driving in Cooney to end the game.
Box Score Notes: Jaksa made his first career start in right field while Laya started his first game in left field … Gimenez's grand slam was the third hit this season by the Ducks … Gimenez, Cooney, Miranda and Mabeus all finished with two hits … Oregon's pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts, the 10th time this season Oregon has double-digit strikeouts …
On Deck: The Ducks and Musketeers wrap up their two-game midweek series on Wednesday. First pitch is at 3:05 p.m.
Quotes:
Head Coach Mark Wasikowski
On if Toby Twist is emerging as a mid-week starter…
"I don't know, good question. We'll probably break that down and talk about it in the coaches' room. Toby is really good. He wasn't super sharp at the beginning, but he was able to find it. He turned what was a bit of an interesting start into something that was really positive and productive for him. We got the win. He pitched well and really found his rhythm. It took him a little bit to get a feel for things. I was just happy with his resilience."
On what he liked from the bullpen pitchers…
"There is a lot of talent down there. I've said it a lot: the experience piece is a big thing. We don't have a bunch of guys who have a ton of experience. The only way they are going to get that experience is to actually pitch in these games. Every day is good from an experience standpoint. It's not totally pretty and smooth yet, but I hope they continue to progress by the end of the year. There is a lot of arm talent down there."
On what he liked from Brayden Jaksa at centerfield and why Jack Brooks wasn't there…
"Jack Brooks went into the wall the other day at Purdue. He is not 100% right now. Nevertheless, Jack was our starting centerfielder, so we needed to make adjustments. Brayden Jaksa is a really talented player and getting him more plate appearances and finding places for him to play is great."
On how big Gimenez's second home run with the Ducks is…
"It's really big. He is a talented player and a really athletic kid. His having more experience now and gaining more experience by the day is only going to help him and us as a team."
Toby Twist
On his defense being able to support him...
"It's great. I feel comfortable with the guys behind me while I'm making my pitches."
On getting more strikeouts without giving up runs...
"Nothing changes. Strikeouts happen. I just try to make pitches and get ahead when I can to bury guys."
On a shaky first inning...
"It was a weird first inning. I was getting behind in counts and things weren't going my way, but it was good to get ahead."
Jax Gimenez
On his grand slam and good team performance...
"I think the biggest thing is the team performance. Last week our biggest thing was the day after an off day, making sure we show up midweek. With back-to-back weeks coming back from being on the road, last week we didn't show up. I think we beat ourselves last week, and the goal was to come out and play our game today, and we did that really well. Overall, I liked how we bounced back this week as a team."
On batting behind great players...
"I bat behind Ryan Cooney, who's one of the best lead-off hitters in the country, and I have Dominic Hellman and the rest of the team behind me to help clean it up. It helps when you're surrounded by those guys, and everyone, top to bottom, does their job. When we do our job, we're good, but it doesn't hurt to come up with the bases loaded and be able to get guys home.
On his thoughts of his increased performance...
"I try to do what I do well. I feel like when I play my game, I'm successful. It's still early in the year, so I can continue to learn a lot. There's a lot of season left ahead. There are things today, both offensively and defensively, that I could've done better, so I'll keep continuing to grow from each game, but I think I've done a good job at that so far."
On gaining power while staying efficient...
"I think I'm at my best in two-strike hitting, bunting, slashing, doing whatever it is I need to be doing. I need to execute what is being called. I'm not trying to hit home runs, that's when I am at my worst. I try to keep the ball low right through the middle of the field. I think that's done in the weight room. I try not to overswing. Today, I struck out at my first at bat. I think I was doing too much and chasing the 3-2 pitch for a strikeout. For my second at bat, I tried to get a good swing on it, which is where the power comes. I think I'll keep continuing to elevate my hits and the power will come from that."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Twist, Toby (2-0)
L: Joey Young (0-1)
Base Running:
CS: Jorge Valdes 1
HBP: Clay Burdette 2 ; Josh Stonehouse 1
Batting:
2B: Miranda, Gabe 1 ; Mabeus, Burke-Lee 1
HR: Gimenez, Jax 1 ; Smith, Drew 1
RBI: Gimenez, Jax 4 ; Lauaki Jr., Naulivou 1 ; Miranda, Gabe 1 ; Molony, Maddox 1 ; Smith, Drew 1 ; Mabeus, Burke-Lee 1
SF: Molony, Maddox 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cooney, Ryan 3 ; Gimenez, Jax 2 ; Smith, Drew 2 ; Laya, Angel 1 ; Mabeus, Burke-Lee 2
CS: Jaksa, Brayden 1
HBP: Gimenez, Jax 1 ; Jaksa, Brayden 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
0
cf/lf
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
4
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
UTL
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INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
INF/RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball1B
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballMark Wasikowski | Postgame vs. Xavier (Game 1)
Wednesday, March 11
Toby Twist | Postgame vs. Xavier (Game 1)
Wednesday, March 11
Jax Gimenez | Postgame vs. Xavier (Game 1)
Wednesday, March 11
Will Sanford | Postgame vs. Oregon State
Wednesday, March 04
