Box Score
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. --- Portland sophomore starter Kurt Yinger had another masterful performance and senior Jeff Melby knocked in three runs as the Pilots topped the San Francisco Dons 5-1 in a West Coast Conference baseball game played at AT&T Park on Saturday afternoon. Yinger (2-1) allowed just one run in 7.2 innings as his consecutive scoreless innings streak was finally snapped at 26.2.
The Pilots even their conference record to 1-1 and improve to 8-14 overall. The Dons, who won Friday’s series opener, drop to 10-12 and 2-3.
Yinger, who was coming off of back-to-back 9.0 inning shutout performances, had the USF hitters guessing for most of the afternoon. The right-hander struck out four, walked just one and yielded only five hits.
The Pilots did most of their damage on offense in the top of the fourth inning when they took a commanding 4-0 lead. With runners on second and third and one out, Melby hit a two-run single to center field to give Portland the 2-0 lead. Moments later with two outs, sophomore Caleb Whalen made it a 4-0 game when his base hit to right field also scored a pair of runs.
The four-run cushion was more than enough for Yinger, who hadn’t allowed a run since the sixth inning against No. 21 UC Irvine on March 2. The Dons were able to score a run off of Yinger in the eighth inning, but relievers Brandon Snyder and J.R. Bunda combined to hold USF scoreless and hitless during the final 1.1 innings.
Melby registered his third RBI of the day when his single down the right field line in the top of the seventh inning scored Ben Grubb and gave the Pilots a 5-0 advantage.
Alex Balog (1-2) takes the loss for the Dons after allowing all five runs on eight hits and a walk in 6.2 innings.
The Pilots out-hit the Dons 10-5, Melby finished with three hits and Whalen and Grubb each notched a pair of hits.
The game was played at the home of the San Francisco Giants as part of the annual Benedetti Classic.
Tomorrow’s series finale returns to Benedetti Diamond on the USF campus and is set to begin at 1 p.m.
