Heard helps lift Ducks to third win to start home-opening Lafayette series

EUGENE, Ore. — In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Oregon (5-1) beat the Lafayette Leopards 7-4 to take a 3-0 lead in the four-game series.

After a scoreless first inning, the Ducks struck first with a pair of singles from Jeffrey Heard and Ryan Cooney, a hit-by-pitch, and an error from Lafayette’s second baseman to plate three runs in the bottom of the second. 

Heard added to the lead in the third, launching a 2-1 pitch over the wall in dead center for his first home run of the season and first as a Duck after transferring from Sacramento State over the off-season. 

“The way he’s playing, boy, he is just really playing well and hitting well,” head coach, Mark Wasikowski said of Heard. “He fills up the box with confidence, he’s a poised player, very mature… The beginning of the year we were batting him closer to the bottom of the order, and he’s obviously 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.”

The Leopards' bats got some action going in the fifth, as a single and a four-pitch walk knocked freshman starter, Toby Twist, out of the game after 4 innings, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out five.

Wasikowski handed the ball to righty Michael Freund, who allowed two runs to come around to score thanks to a sacrifice bunt, an infield single, and an RBI groundout to third. Both runs were credited to Twist, whose ERA now sits at 4.70 after his first 7.2 college innings

“His arm is great, and he’s a competitive son of a gun, and I love that part,” Wasikowski said of Twist’s day on the mound. “I think he got emotional, sometimes it worked for him sometimes it worked against him.

"Overall, just really excited about the fact that he looked like he could be a big-time starter for us, and he showed that in spurts, so plenty to build off of."

Freund came back out for the sixth and immediately gave up two singles. He then made a great play to catch a popped up bunt but hit the next batter to load the bases, setting up a sac fly to bring home a run. He walked the next batter to load the bases again before getting a big whiff on a slider to end the inning and get out of the jam.

Justin Cassella led off the seventh with a walk on a full count before stealing second and third. Mason Neville followed with a full-count walk of his own before a pickoff attempt to first led to a rundown between first and second, allowing Cassella to score from third and Neville to reach second on the throw home.

Jack Brooks then laid down a perfect drag bunt, and when the throw from third sailed over the first baseman’s head into right field, reached second as Neville came around to score. Heard smacked a double just past the outstretched glove of the diving Layafette left fielder for his third hit of the day, scoring Brooks from second to give the Ducks a 7-3 lead.

Lefty Bradley Mullan replaced Freund after one out in the seventh, striking out four batters in his 1.2 innings while only allowing one base runner. He was able to get whiff after whiff on his off-speed pitches while commanding the zone well, throwing 15 of his 23 pitches for strikes.

“He looked old, he looked poised, he looked under control,” Wasikowski said of the senior lefty. “He made big pitches when he needed to and he just kept making big pitches… We saw in game two some youth and inexperience, and Bradley just kinda settled things in, and he was the player of the game in the second game.” 

Logan Mercado came in to finish things in the ninth but gave up a leadoff double and walked two to load the bases with only one out. The next batter worked a full count before walking to bring a run home and the go-ahead run to the plate. Mercado dialed back in, mowing down the next two batters on six pitches to seal the win for the Ducks.

“I don’t think Logan was sharp, that was obvious,” said Wasikowski. “And yet he was still able to find the confidence and the tenacity to be able to come through when we needed him… He was able to handle two very good hitters at the end of the game, with the game on the line. That was exciting that Logan was able to pull it together and have the mental toughness to execute when he needed to.”

Oregon plays the fourth and final game of their series against Lafayette on Sunday. The first pitch is scheduled for 12:05 PM from PK Park.