Baseball Recap: Ducks Win 3-0, Staff Tosses Second-Straight Shutout, Complete Series Sweep

EUGENE, Oregon— The brooms were out Sunday at PK Park, as the Oregon Ducks completed a four game sweep of the outmatched Santa Clara Broncos 3-0.

Sophomore left handed starter Cole Stringer (2-0) and three relievers combined for the five hit shutout. Stringer pitched five-and-two-thirds, giving up only four hits while striking out three. Freshman closer Kenyon Yovan pitched the ninth to pick up his fifth save of the season.

Broncos’ starter Michael Bono (0-2) pitched well enough to win, giving up just three runs on four hits in six innings, but was let down by his offense, which failed to advance a runner beyond second base, and left nine baserunners stranded on the day.

The Ducks’ offense wasn’t much better, but in the bottom of the fifth, after a single by redshirt junior left fielder A.J. Balta, and a hit-by-pitch for freshman right fielder Matthew Dyer, freshman third baseman Spencer Steer roped a double to left field, driving home both Balta and Dyer. Junior shortstop Daniel Patzlaff then stroked an RBI single back up the middle, driving in Steer.

That was all the offense that was needed, as the Ducks completed their second straight shutout and fourth overall on the young season. The four shutouts thrown by Duck pitchers equals the total for rival Oregon State, good for tops in the conference.

Oregon begins conference play this coming Friday, with a three game series against the University of California Golden Bears in Berkeley. First pitch from Evans Diamond scheduled for 7:30 pm.

Game notes: Yovan leads the PAC-12 with his five saves... The Ducks’ staff leads the conference in strikeouts with 145... Patzlaff moved into a tie for tenth place in the conference with his team-leading twelfth RBI...