Ducks drop opener against Arizona

Thursday, May 24

Eugene, Ore.

7:00 PM

University of Oregon

25-28, 11-17

Arizona

33-21, 13-15

Arizona

Oregon

05/24/18 | Baseball

Box Score Game 53: Arizona 10, Oregon 2

EUGENE, Ore. – Arizona broke open a tight game with five runs in the final three innings to hand Oregon a 10-2 loss at PK Park in Pac-12 Conference action on Thursday night.

How it happened: Arizona (33-21, 13-15 Pac-12) scored runs in the first four innings to take and early 4-1 lead. After the Wildcats scored single runs in the first and second, the Ducks cut the lead in half on a Daniel Patzlaff sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second.

Cesar Salazar pushed the Arizona lead to 4-1 with a two-run home run in the top of the third inning, before a Cal Stevenson RBI single in the fourth made it 5-1. The Ducks (25-28, 11-17 Pac-12) got one back in the bottom of the sixth. Taylor Travess drove in the run on a squeeze bunt scoring Jonny DeLuca, who reached on a leadoff bunt.

Alfonso Rivas put Arizona up by four with a solo home run in the seventh and the UA put the game away in the ninth with four runs. Salazar, who finished the game 3-for-5 with six RBI and two runs scored, hit a three-run homer to cap the scoring.

Duck notes: Spencer Steer extended his hitting streak to seven games … Kyle Kasser recorded his 76th hit of the season, tying Ryon Healy (2013) for fourth most at Oregon in a single season … Patzlaff made his 139th career start, tying A.J. Balta (2014-17) for ninth most in program history.

On deck: The two teams will play game two of the series on Friday at 7 p.m. at PK Park. Sophomore Kenyon Yovan (5-4, 3.21) will pitch for the Ducks, while Michael Flynn (6-4, 5.21) is scheduled to go to the mound for Arizona.