Takeaways: Oregon baseball goes 2-1 at Shriners Children’s College Showdown in Texas

Led by an impressive showing from its bullpen in its first two games, the Oregon baseball team won its season debut against Oklahoma on Friday, 4-2, then defeated Baylor 7-4, before falling to Texas Tech on Sunday, 11-7, all at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field in Texas.

The Ducks (2-1) new-look bullpen was on full display in its two openers, shutting the door on both the Sooners and Bears to take home victories before an inconsistent showing against the Red Raiders.

In their season opener against the Sooners the Ducks took an early 2-0 lead before Oklahoma tied it with two runs in the third. The teams traded scoreless innings until the Ducks finally broke through in the eighth, putting two runs across to earn the win.

Sacramento State transfer Jeffery Heard went 2-for-4 in his debut with a double, and Dominic Hellman had the lone RBI of the day. Starter RJ Gordon pitched 4 1/3 innings with three strikeouts and two earned runs. Grayson Grinsell pitched the next three scoreless innings with a punchout and just one hit allowed, and Michael Freund earned the save.

In their second game against Baylor, the Ducks fell into an early hole, trailing 4-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth. Oregon responded with a run in the bottom of the inning, and then back-to-back three-run innings in the fifth and sixth while the bullpen continued to deal.

Drew Smith went 2-for-5, Justin Cassella added a multi-hit day, going 2-for-3, and Heard continued his strong start with another 2-hit day and an RBI. Six Ducks had RBIs in a well-rounded day at the plate after a slow start. On the mound, transfer Kevin Seitter got the start and pitched four innings, allowing four runs with three earned on five hits.

Bradley Mullan earned the win out of the pen, pitching two scoreless innings with four punchouts. He, Jaxon Jordan and Logan Mercado combined to throw five scoreless with nine strikeouts, with Mercado earning the save.

In the Ducks finale against the Red Raiders, Oregon dug itself into too deep a hole, and stranded 13 on base in its first loss of the early season. At the plate, Smith continued his strong weekend, going 4-for-6 with three RBIs, and Carter Garate added a 4-for-4 line with a pair of doubles. Heard once again had a multi-hit day, going 2-for-5.

The Ducks were far less consistent on the mound Sunday, with six arms combining to allow 13 hits and 11 runs with 10 earned in eight innings pitched. Turner Spoljaric earned the start and only pitched an inning and a third, allowing five earned runs before getting yanked in the second inning. Freshman Toby Twist came out of the pen and pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing just two runs and striking out six.

Oregon takes on Lafayette in its home-opening four-game series at PK Park starting on Friday.

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on Twitter @AlecDietz.