PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland sophomores Scott Burris and Zach Varce combined for a three-hit shutout as the Pilots prevailed 4-0 over the Oregon Ducks at the Rose City Invitational on Friday night at PGE Park. The meeting was the first between the Pilots and Ducks since 1981 when Oregon won 9-7 in Portland.
Portland, which clobbered Hawaii 13-2 earlier on Friday, wins its fifth straight game and improves to 13-7 on the season. Oregon falls to 8-9.
Burris (4-0) had the Oregon hitters guessing all night long and didn’t allow a hit during the game’s first three innings. The Ducks finally got a hit in the fourth and finished with just two against the left-hander in 6.0 innings.
Varce, the right-hander, took over from there and allowed just one hit during the final three innings. He struck out five Ducks and got out of a two-on, two-out jam in the top of the eighth with a strikeout. Varce picks up his team-high fourth save of the year.
Portland did most of its damage at the plate in the third inning when the Pilots gave Burris a three-run cushion. With runners on second and third and one out, freshman designated hitter Beau Fraser sent a single back through the box and into center field that scored both freshman Garrett Queen and sophomore Kevin Armijo.
A few batters later, the bases were loaded for sophomore Riley Henricks. Henricks came through with a sacrifice fly to deep right field that scored Fraser. Oregon starter Tyler Anderson then got out of the jam when junior Austin Pearce lined out to left field.
Anderson (1-2) picks up the loss despite striking out 12 on the night. He was charged with four runs, two earned, on six hits and three walks in 5.0 innings.
Reliever Geoff Nichols held the Pilots scoreless on one hit during the final three innings. He struck out four.
The Pilots scored their fourth run on a balk in the bottom of the sixth inning.
UP finished with seven hits and Oregon committed the game’s only error.
Earlier in the day, Hawaii opened the Rose City Invitational with a 9-7 win over the Washington Huskies in 10 innings. UW forced the extra innings with three runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Portland then took the second game of the invite from Hawaii before beating the Ducks.
The Rose City Invitational continues with three games on Saturday and two more on Sunday. The Huskies and Ducks get things going on Saturday with a game at 11:00 a.m. Oregon then faces Hawaii at 2:30 p.m. before Washington and Portland play at 6:00 p.m.
