THE RUNDOWN
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The University of San Francisco's baseball took the three-game series against UC Riverside, winning both games of the doubleheader today to improve to 6-4 on the season.
 
The doubleheader duo of Riley Ornido and Landen Bourassa put together a pair of excellent pitching performances for the second consecutive week, going late into their respective games.
 
Ornido came into the first game today sporting a season long no-hitter that he took into the seventh inning for the second straight start. The Dons gave the sophomore an early 2-0 lead through a two RBI single from Riley Helland, which scored Jack Winkler and Jonathan Allen.
 
In the seventh inning, Ornido would allow his first hit of the season when the Highlanders' Tony Gudino doubled to left field. The Highlanders would get on the board in the eighth inning to cut the USF lead to 2-1, but Brendan Jenkins shut UC Riverside down to finish off the game.
 
In the second game of the doubleheader, USF jumped out to an early 2-0 lead through an unearned run, with the second run coming through a RBI single from R.J. Cordeiro. Bourassa continued his strong performance from last weekend, keeping the UC Riverside offense at bay through seven innings.
 
Freshman Jack Winkler added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning, driving in two runs to extend the USF lead to 4-0. The Highlanders got a run back in the eighth inning, but that's all the Dons would give them with the game ending in a 4-1 USF win.
 
COACHES QUOTES
Head coach Nino Giarratano
 
On starting strong in the first game of the doubleheader:
"We scored early, we pitched well with Ornido throwing another six innings of no-hit ball that gave us every opportunity to be successful. Then Jenkins came out of the bullpen and did his thing to cap off the 2-0 win in game one, which really helped us."
 
Thoughts on game two:
Again, another strong pitching performance from Bourassa, then we scored early and late to increase our lead. There are still certain things we need to improve on but winning two-out-of-three on the road after dropping the first game late that's always a good thing.
 
On the two wins:
"I was really happy for the guys to get two-out-of-three this weekend after getting three-out-of-four last weekend. We didn't play the kind of defense I wanted us to play, but I think we are going to be a good enough defense club. If we keep winning series', then we are moving in the right direction."
 
On the pitching performance:
"They've both been commanding their fastballs and been able to throw their two off speed pitches for strikes in the split finger from Ornido, and the changeup from Bourassa. Then they both mix in a slider, which has been pretty good for them. If you can command three pitches at any level and throw with their velocity, you're going to be successful. Really happy that we are starting to get the pitching figured out."
 
"I thought (Grant) Goodman was great and threw a clean ninth (inning), and Alex Pham was outstanding coming in and doing his job. Scotty Parker came in late and got his out. Overall I thought we were good."
 
On the offensive performance:
"If you look at Jon Allen and what he's been able to do for this team. He put together a 13 pitch at-bat to start the second game of the doubleheader, and got a base hit in that sequence, he was a catalyst of us scoring two in that first inning. I was really excited about how the kids competed, and that's something we've been focusing on."
 
GAME STATS

• Ornido has now gone 14 1/3 innings without conceding a hit before conceding a hit in the seventh inniing today.
• Landen Bourassa put together a second consecutive strong performance, striking out nine through 8 innings.
• In the first game, Riley Helland drove in the two runs for USF, putting his season tally at 5 RBIs total.
• Jack Winkler drove in two in the eighth inning of the second game, his third and fourth RBIs of the season.
• Jonathan Allen added five hits to his team leading total to 17 hits this season. 

NEXT UP
The Dons will travel to Fresno State to take on the Bulldogs in a one game matchup on Tuesday, with first pitch slated for 6 p.m.