Three Homers Back Clarke's Strong Start

Saturday, March 14

Eugene, Ore.

2:05 p.m.

University of Oregon

16-3, 4-1

Indiana

7-11, 1-4

Indiana

Oregon

Photo by: GoDucks.com

03/14/26 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score: Oregon 5, Indiana 1 Photo Gallery

Oregon clinched a series win over Indiana on Saturday with a 5-1 victory at PK Park.

By: Rob Moseley

EUGENE, Ore. — As if a lion in a cage, Collin Clarke stalked around the mound Saturday like the king of PK Park, letting out the occasional roar after one of his six strikeouts.

The way Clark was throwing for the Oregon baseball team, he didn't need much offense to support him. The Ducks gave him some anyway, blasting three home runs in a 5-1 victory to secure a series win over Indiana.

The series finale is Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 12:30 p.m. to accommodate a Big Ten Network telecast.

Clarke (3-1) allowed two hits over seven innings Saturday, the only blemish on his line a third-inning solo homer. It was a loud performance, both statistically and in the way he stalked the mound between pitches, exuding competitive energy.

"It was a really good start for Collin," UO coach Mark Wasikowski said. "He's a super competitor. You've got to really appreciate how competitive the kid is, and his mix is really good. I mean, he's got an electric arm and he's got a good feel for the ball. … He misses on the over-competitive side sometimes, and I'd rather have that than anything else. So I'm happy that he's in our uniform."

The solo homer was the only extra-base hit Clarke allowed. There might have been a couple more, but Jax Gimenez made a diving catch in the gap in left-center in the first inning, and freshman Angel Laya snared a potential home run in right-center in the seventh.

"I thought that ball was gone," Clarke said. "I couldn't believe he brought it back. Hell of a play."

Laya also hit one of three home runs on the day by the Ducks (16-3). The first was the seventh of the season for third baseman Drew Smith, a solo homer in the second that continued his streak of reaching base in every game so far this season.

"Every day I'm still trying to get better and still trying to work on my game, because there's definitely parts of it I can still improve on," said Smith, who is hitting .458 after 1-for-2 on Saturday, with two walks. "So, just trying to crush it every single day and just let the results happen. If they come, they come; if they don't, they don't. As long as my process is right, I'm in a good spot."

How It Happened: Smith homered with two out in the bottom of the second to break a scoreless tie. Indiana's only run of the day came in the top of the third, but the Ducks answered that in the bottom of the inning with a Ryan Cooney solo shot for a 2-1 lead.

Smith next came to the plate with one out in the fourth. He worked the count full and then walked after falling behind 0-2, and Wasikowski later identified that as a turning point in the game.

"I thought that was a critical at-bat," Wasikowski said. "And then I thought (assistant coach Jack) Marder did a really nice job of trying to break the rhythm of the pitcher, and called an offensive timeout. And immediately after that, we strung a couple of positive at-bats together.

Indeed, Laya followed with a two-run homer, his seventh of the year. Brayden Jaksa then doubled, and two batters later Cooney drove him in.

Three innings after his two-run homer, Laya made the highlight-reel catch to rob a potential homer.

"You've got to separate those two things," Laya said. "Go out there and play defense, and when it's time to hit, hit."

Luke Morgan pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning in relief of Clarke. Blake Crawford opened the ninth with a strikeout before walking the next hitter, and Michael Meckna had a one-pitch outing to finish the game, coaxing a double-play ball to close out the top of the ninth.

Up Next: The Ducks and Hoosiers play the series finale Sunday (12:30 p.m., Big Ten Network).