Ducks Overwhelm UW, Clinch Pac-12 Tournament Berth

SEATTLE, Wash. — No. 20 Oregon belted four home runs while getting a stellar performance out of reliever Brock Moore in a 13-6 Pac-12 Conference win at Husky Ballpark on Saturday night.  
 
Heading into the game, Oregon (33-16, 15-11 Pac-12) needed a win or a Washington State loss to lock up a spot in the Pac-12 Tournament in two weeks. The Ducks got both on Saturday.
 
Moore (3-0) relieved starter Grayson Grinsell in the fourth inning with runners on the corners and two outs with Oregon leading 7-4. After giving up a double to the first batter he faced that scored both runners and cut the lead to one, Moore retired 14 of the 18 batters he faced while striking out eight in the stretch. He recorded the first two outs of the ninth inning before giving up a soft single which ended his night.
 
How It Happened: Oregon put a pair of runs on the board in the top of the first inning. After a Drew Smith leadoff double, Mason Neville went deep for the second straight game to put the Ducks on top 2-0.
 
Washington (19-24-1, 10-16) cut the lead in half with a leadoff homer in its half of the first, but the Ducks responded right away. Chase Meggers reached in the top of the second on a one-out hit-by-pitch before moving to third on a Carter Garate double. After another out, Smith delivered a two-out, two-RBI single to make it 4-1.
 
UW answered in the bottom of the second tying the game with three runs, but for the second consecutive inning the Ducks had a two-out response. Anson Aroz worked a two-out walk setting up Maddox Molony who smoked his third home run in as many games to put Oregon up by two.
 
Carter Garate helped Oregon push the lead back to three with a solo home run in the top of the fourth, but the Huskies got two back in their half of the inning to trim the lead to a run.
 
Oregon kept the pressure on with two more runs in the sixth. Molony walked to lead off the inning before scoring on Chase Meggers' fourth homer of the season.
 
It was more Meggers in the seventh. After Oregon loaded the bases with a hit and a pair of walks, the Ducks' catcher unloaded the bases with a three-run double down the right-field line.
 
Oregon tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Bryce Boettcher singled with two outs and came around to score on a Garate double.
 
Box Score Notes: Garate finished the game a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, which would have been Oregon's first since the 2010 season … In the ninth inning, Garate was thrown out at third trying to stretch a double into the triple denying him the cycle … Garate (4-for-5, HR, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R) matched a career high in hits … Meggers (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 5 RBI, 2 R) fell one RBI shy of tying his career high … Moore (5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K) matched his career high in strikeouts while setting a new career best for innings pitched … Oregon's four home runs marked the marked the seventh time this season the Ducks have hit four-or-more homers … Smith batted in the leadoff spot for the first time since Oregon's Feb. 18 vs. Texas Tech … Anson Aroz played defensively in the field for the first time since March 23 vs. Arizona.
 
On Deck: The teams wrap up the three-game series on Sunday with a 12:05 p.m. first pitch.