EUGENE – Fourteen batters, eight hits and nine runs were enough to add up to a big first-inning homecoming for the Oregon Ducks.

Following a 10-game road trip the saw the Ducks go 5-5 and drop 14 spots in the national rankings, Oregon took little time rekindling its love for Eugene in a 15-10 win over Portland on Tuesday.

"Even with the losses that we've had, we've been playing really good baseball," said catcher Shaun Chase. "We need to keep playing the good baseball that we are and we'll pull through."

A total of 14 batters came to the plate for Oregon in the first, as the Ducks chased Pilots' starting pitcher Austin Kelly with only one out in the game. Mitchell Tolman had two hits in the inning, Aaron Payne walked and tripled, Kyle Garlick had a two RBI double and the Ducks quickly shook the demons of a Washington series that saw the team score four runs over its final two games. The breakout inning was a run shy short of Oregon's best inning in history, which came with on April 2, 1972 against Portland State.

The only batter who didn't reach base in the first was Chase, who struck out swinging for the first out of the inning. He countered with a mammoth two-run homer over the left field wall to highlight a three-run second inning.

Chase homered in Oregon's only other meeting with the Pilots, in February.

"I like hitting off them I guess," he said. "I got a lot of it tonight."

While the offense snapped out of some of its weekend woes, the pitching continued to be a thorn in coach George Horton's side. Oregon pitchers nibbled at the plate, walking two and hitting six batters. Starter Porter Clayton gave up four runs in 2 1/3 innings, Stephen Nogosek allowed two runs in 3 2/3 innings, Jordan Spencer didn't allow a run in two innings, but hit one and Derek Smith gave up five runs on four hits in the ninth.

The bullpen faltered throughout the Washington series, hitting rock bottom on Sunday when closer Jake Reed and Darrell Hunter combined to blow a 4-2 10th inning lead in the team's 5-4 loss. With Saturday starter Matt Krook out indefinitely with an arm injury, the staff will be stretched thinner in the coming weeks and the Ducks have shown that that might be a problem.

"Unfortunately, some of other pitchers that haven't been given the chance to pitch a lot were sloppy," coach George Horton said. "But we'll take the win."

No. 25 Oregon (23-10, 7-5 Pac-12) will travel to Portland on Wednesday for a midweek rematch with the Pilots before opening up a three-game non-conference series against UC Riverside at home beginning Friday. Krook will miss the series – he's scheduled to have an MRI on Friday. Sunday starter Jeff Gold (7-0, 2.17 ERA) will move up to Saturday while Trent Paddon will get the start on Sunday. Horton said they didn't know anything more about Krook's injury, reiterating that the starter left with stiffness in his throwing arm on Saturday.

-- Tyson Alger | @tysonalger