TEMPE, Ariz. – San Diego rallied from a 5-5 tie in the ninth inning to win in thrilling fashion, securing a 6-5 victory over Oregon on Saturday night at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
A pair of newcomers turned in strong performances on the mound for the Toreros (1-1). Freshman
Conner Thurman (1-0) got the win out of the bullpen for the USD. The right-hander went three shutout innings, giving up two hits, four walks and striking out three. Sophomore
Kohl Simas also pitched well in his USD debut, going three shutout innings without allowing a hit, walking four and striking out six.
Paul Kunst led the way offensively for the Toreros, going 2-for-3 in the ballgame with two walks and an RBI.
Shane McGuire provided a standout effort as well, going 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs.
Cody Jefferis also helped out, going 2-for-4 for USD with a walk and an RBI.
The Toreros put runs on the board in the first inning for the second straight game, crossing two runs including Kunst's RBI single.
USD lost the lead quickly after Oregon scored three in the bottom of the first inning, but got back on the board in the second, trailing 3-2.
The Toreros picked up two runs when a single from McGuire scored
Adam Kerner and
Adam Lopez, which brought the score to 4-3 in favor of USD.
San Diego's lead had disappeared once the fifth inning came around. With Oregon leading 5-4, the Toreros scored on an RBI single off the bat of Jefferis to tie the game at five.
The teams remained knotted at five until the ninth inning, when San Diego mounted another offensive rally.
Junior
Tora Otsuka crossed home plate on a pass bass with the lone run of the inning for the Toreros, bringing the score to 6-5 in favor of San Diego.
The Ducks made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth, putting runners on first and second with no outs. A strikeout from Thurman and an unconventional 9-5-2 double play kept Oregon off the board and USD held on for the win.
The Toreros are back in action on Sunday for the final game of the Angels College Classic, when they will take on Minnesota at 2:30 p.m. PT.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
