SAN DIEGO, California— The Oregon Ducks finally found their offensive groove Friday, hammering out sixteen hits, five for extra bases including three home runs, in an 11-5 spanking of the Anteaters of UC-Irvine in the opening game of the 2017 Tony Gwynn Classic.
Things didn’t look so good in the early going for the Ducks (3-2), as UCI (3-2) plated three runs in the bottom half of the first inning off of Oregon starter junior David Peterson (1-1) to take a 3-0 lead. The Ducks would strike back in the top of the fourth to tie the game, thanks to a solo home run by junior catcher Tim Susnara, and a two-run shot by junior shortstop Daniel Patzlaff, which was enough to chase Anteater starter Andre Pallante from the game.