A.J. Balta hit his second home run of the season and helped No. 14 Oregon baseball complete the series sweep of San Diego State with a 4-3 win Sunday.
With two runners on and two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Balta’s shot over the right field fence broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Ducks what turned out to be an insurmountable three-run lead. The Aztecs pushed Oregon’s bullpen in the bottom half of the inning, scoring two runs after a home run of their own. But, the threat died down after  Stephen Nogosek came to the mound.
Nogosek recorded a five-out save and preserved a perfect weekend for the Ducks.
David Peterson pitched five innings, allowing just one run on four hits, in his first start of the season. Jacob Bennett was awarded his first win of his career after his short stint of relief in parts of the seventh and eighth inning.
Oregon’s production offensively was limited to the deep ball Sunday. Tim Susnara hit his first collegiate home run in the second inning to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead. Oregon would wait six innings to get someone across home plate again. Balta’s home run in the eighth scored both Travis Moniot and Daniel Patzlaff. The two combined to go 8-for-20 with seven runs scored in the team’s first three games.
Oregon will play its home opener at PK Park this Thursday against Illinois State.
Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JustinFWise