AP Sports Preview: Oregon at Washington State

PULLMAN, Wash. (Interstat) — Oregon visits Washington State on Saturday, May 30, in a Pac-12 baseball matchup featuring two of the conference’s top pitchers.

The Ducks (41-16) enter on a high after a 14-2 rout of Yale on Friday, while the Cougars (31-26) edged Oregon State 3-2 in their most recent outing.

Oregon will start right-hander Cal Scolari, who has been dominant in his last two outings. The sophomore threw 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief against Yale, allowing five hits and striking out five. In his previous start May 23 against Washington, he tossed five shutout innings with 10 strikeouts in a 9-4 win. Scolari is 5-2 this season with a 3.12 ERA.

Washington State counters with ace Nick Lewis, who threw a complete-game one-hitter against Oregon State on Friday. The junior left-hander allowed two earned runs and struck out one in nine innings. He also pitched 8 2/3 scoreless innings against Air Force on May 22, fanning 11 in a 5-1 win. Lewis is 7-3 with a 2.41 ERA.

Oregon’s offense has been potent. In Friday’s win, designated hitter Naulivou Lauaki Jr. homered and drove in four runs, while right fielder Angel Laya went 4-for-5 with two RBIs. The Ducks have won four of their last five, including a 9-4 victory over Washington and a 7-0 shutout of Nebraska.

Washington State’s lineup has been inconsistent but got key contributions from left fielder Dustin Robinson (1-for-4, RBI) and designated hitter Matt Priest (2-for-3, RBI) in Friday’s win. The Cougars have split their last six games, including a 14-4 rout of San Diego State and a 12-11 loss to Seattle.

Saturday’s game could hinge on which pitcher gets better run support. Scolari has allowed one earned run over his last 9 1/3 innings, while Lewis has a 0.00 ERA over his last 17 2/3 frames.

First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Bailey-Brayton Field.