BASE | Allen's Homer the Difference for Dons in WCC Opener - University of San Francisco Athletics

Friday, March 15

San Francisco

3 p.m.

University of San Francisco

11-6, 1-0

Portland

14-5, 0-1

Portland

San Francisco

Jonathan Allen provided all the offense the Dons needed Friday with a two-run home run in the fourth inning.

Photo by: Christina Leung

BASE | Allen's Homer the Difference for Dons in WCC Opener

3/15/2019 7:58:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO — Jonathan Allen's early-season power surge continued Friday in a big way, as his fifth home run of the year put the San Francisco baseball team over the top in a tightly contested 2-1 victory over Portland in both teams' West Coast Conference opener at Benedetti Diamond.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Allen hit a towering two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth over the 30-foot yellow marker on the right field fence to put the Dons (11-6, 1-0 WCC) ahead, 2-1. He swung at the first pitch he saw after Jack Winkler had led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch. It was his fifth home run of the season and his second in the last three games. Allen already has five long balls this season after hitting seven in 57 games a year ago.
Allen's home run was an answer to Tracye Tammaro's solo homer to center field in the top of the third that put Portland (14-5, 0-1 WCC) up 1-0. Tammaro's long ball was somewhat surprising, as it was the first home run that USF ace Riley Ornido (4-1) had given up since Opening Day on Feb. 15 and only the second one he allowed all year. Ornido had retired the first seven batters he faced in order before giving up Tammaro's home run.
Those two homers were the only scoring either team would see on Friday. Portland got its leadoff batter on base in every inning from the fourth to the eighth against Ornido, but the crafty USF right-hander pitched out of trouble every time, getting the next three outs and stranding the potential tying run four times. Ornido would pitch through the eighth inning - his longest outing of the year - and give the ball to Joey Steele, who pitched a perfect ninth inning for his fourth save of the season.
The Dons also threatened against Portland ace Eli Morse (2-1) and reliever Christian Peters, loading the bases in the eighth and putting two in scoring position with one out in the seventh. But Morse and Peters skirted around trouble by stranding four runners in scoring position from the fifth inning on, and stranding nine Dons total. USF went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position Friday and 0 for 2 with runners on third and less than two outs.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

.545: Allen is on a three-game hitting streak after Friday's game that includes three straight multi-hit games, a streak during which he is hitting .545. He has hit two home runs, driven in five runs and scored twice during the three-game stretch.
5-0: The Dons are now 5-0 this season in one-run games. Their last three wins have all come by one run, as they have won six of their last seven.
8: Ornido threw eight innings of one-run ball Friday, scattering three hits and striking out two. It was his longest outing of the season and his longest since going 8 2/3 twice in 2018.

COMING UP

San Francisco left-hander Scott Parker faces Portland righty Nate Packard in game two of the series at 1 p.m. Saturday. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.