Oregon Bats Come Alive in 7-1 Win over Defending Champs

Saturday, February 28

Eugene, Ore.

1:00 PM

University of Oregon

3-2

Fresno State

2-4

Fresno State

Oregon Ducks

Photo by: Tod Fierner

Oregon Bats Come Alive in 7-1 Win over Defending Champs

03/01/09 | Baseball

Box Score

By: GoDucks.com

EUGENE, Ore. -- After waiting until the bottom of the ninth inning to score in Friday's home opening victory at PK Park, the University of Oregon baseball team had five runs on the board by the last of the third Saturday, cruising to a 7-1 win over 15th-ranked Fresno State in front of another capacity crowd.

The Ducks (3-2) received exceptional pitching for the second time in as many days, but this time backed it up with their bats, cranking out 10 base hits against the defending national champions.

Caleb Tommasini and Dylan Gavin led the UO attack with two hits and two RBIs apiece, and right-hander Erik Stavert (1-1) earned the win, scattering six hits and allowing one run in 6 1/3 innings of work.

Oregon scored two runs in the second inning and three in the third before adding single runs in the sixth and seventh. The Bulldogs (2-4) only run came in the form of a solo home run by Danny Muno in the top of the third, briefly pulling the visitors within a run at 2-1.

Eddy Rodriguez, who scored the lone run in Friday's 1-0 shutout, sparked Oregon's early rally with a leadoff single in the last half of the second. Base hits by Colby Sokol and Gavin - sandwiched around a strikeout by Jett Hart - loaded the bases for No. 9 hitter Danny Pulfer, who delivered a sacrafice fly to plate Rodriguez with the game's first run.

Tommasini followed with a two-out hit, bringing home Sokol.

The Ducks batted around in the third, although they managed to score the minimum amount of runs in doing so, leaving the bases loaded after three runs were in. Mitch Karraker started the frame with the first of his two hits on the day and went to second after Rodriguez walked. Solkol advanced his teammates to second and third, respectively with a sacrifice bunt, before Hart walked to load the bases and chase Fresno State starter Sean Bonesteele (0-2) in the process.

Gavin singled to right, driving home two, and Pulfer followed with a bunt single to give UO a 5-1 lead.

Bonesteele was chaged with five runs - all earned - over 2 1/3 innings. He allowed five hits, walked four and struck out two.

In the sixth, Curtis Raulinatis led off with a triple to center field and scored on a ground out to second by Karraker.

Oregon's final run was manufactured as Gavin was hit by a pitch, stole second and came around on a two-out single by Tommasini.

Lefty Ryan Fleckenstein and right-hander Madison Boer combined for 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for the Ducks. Boer, who pitched the ninth, was helped out by an acrobatic, diving catch in left-center field by Raulinitis with a runner on first and nobody out. The freshman hurler ended the game with back-to-back strikeouts.