Spotting the Gaels an early run, the Dons went up 2-1 in the bottom of the second when Rich Crawford and Daryl Hernandez scored on Charles Sciutti's sacrifice fly and a Larry Watkins RBI single.
Cass Fegan's infield single scored Takanabe from third, but Rich Crawford grounded into a double play to end the game. The loss was the fourth conference game this year that USF has taken to the final at-bat. Despite pitching well, junior lefty Jason Chandler was credited with the complete-game loss. Chandler allowed twelve hits, striking out five and walking just one in dropping his record to 5-4 with a 3.22 ERA.
The Dons, however, came roaring back with a two-run, two-out double in the fourth by Jon Rochlin and later, a five-run seventh inning. The latter showcased two-run homers by pinch hitter Bryan McCaffery and catcher Rich Crawford. Crawford's round-tripper was his second of the day, to go with his second inning solo shot (TheFoghorn).
