David Peterson set the Oregon record for strikeouts in a game with 20 in a complete game win over the Arizona State Sun Devils (18-21, 5-11 Pac-12) on Friday night. The 2-0 victory also broke the team’s five-game losing streak.
As a team, the Ducks (24-13, 7-9 Pac-12) have never struck out 20 batters in a game before Friday. Peterson (9-2) managed to set that record by himself. He broke his own single-game strikeout record of 17, a record he set earlier this season against Mississippi State.
Those two performances sit in the top-five nationally for strikeouts in a game this season. He is 17 strikeouts away from tying the single-season Oregon record set by Tyler Anderson in 2011.
Peterson struck out the side on three different occasions Friday, including one in the first inning, the fifth and the ninth.
“He put an exclamation point on a bounce back effort,” head coach George Horton said. “I think that’s as good as there probably has been in the whole country.”
After suffering his second loss of the season last time out against Stanford, Peterson was ready to get back out on the mound and put it behind him. Against Stanford, he surrendered 10 hits and four earned runs in only his second loss of the season.
“It really ate at me,” Peterson said. “So I took it for what it was, saw what I needed to do to get better and put that in my work this week.”
Peterson continued: “I was pretty anxious in the bullpen, I had to settle myself down. … Throughout the whole game, I felt comfortable and in control.”
The only runs of the game came in the fourth inning for the Ducks. Matthew Dyer laid down a well-placed bunt to score Spencer Steer from third base. Later in the inning, Gabe Matthews scored after being caught in a run-down, but a poor throw allowed him to sneak home. This gave the Ducks the only runs they’d need to pick up the win.
Game two of the three-game series is Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Matt Mercer will get the ball for the Ducks against Eli Lingos of the Sun Devils.
Follow Zak Laster on Twitter: @zlast3445