Oregon won its second consecutive game over the Fresno State Bulldogs Saturday, this time 7-1 romp in front of 2,777 at PK Park.
Junior right-hander Erik Stavert (1-1) earned the win for Oregon (3-2) on 6 1/3 innings of work in which he struck out five Bulldogs while surrendering one run on six hits and two walks.
Oregon drew first blood in the bottom of the second inning, as three singles loaded the bases for freshman second baseman Danny Pulfer with one out. After falling behind 0-1, his sacrifice fly to right field scored junior first baseman Eddy Rodriguez for the game’s first run while freshman designated hitter Colby Sokol advanced to third. The Ducks scored again as the next batter, senior left fielder Caleb Tommasini, slapped a single to center field to score Sokol and give the Ducks a 2-0 advantage.
Fresno State (2-4) answered with two down in the top of the third, tallying its lone score when sophomore shortstop Danny Muno sent Stavert’s 2-2 pitch over the right field wall.
The Ducks fired right back and took control of the game in the bottom of the third, sending Bulldog starting pitcher Sean Bonesteele (0-2) to the showers early as they pushed across three runs on three singles, two walks and a sacrifice bunt.
The key hit in the inning was a two-RBI single from freshman third baseman Dylan Gavin, who came into the game still seeking his first hit and went 2-for-3 in the game with two RBI and a run scored.
Pulfer and Tommasini also drove in two runs each, and sophomore catcher Mitch Karrker added one by following centerfielder Curtis Raulinaitis’ leadoff triple in the sixth with a groundball out to second that brought in the run.
The Ducks look for the sweep of the defending National Champions Sunday, 1 p.m., behind junior southpaw Ben Whitmore (0-1), who picked up a loss in his first start last Saturday against St. Mary’s despite striking out 10, including six straight, as the Ducks fell 6-3 to the Gaels. Fresno State is expected to turn to sophomore right-hander Jake Floethe to salvage a win in Sunday’s finale; Floethe faced one batter and earned a strike out in Friday’s opener.