SAN FRANCISCO—After another incredible performance that saw Dons starting pitcher Sam Granoff get into the eighth inning, USF was unable to find its way onto the scoreboard and dropped the contest to UC Davis 1-0 on Tuesday afternoon.
 
"When you look at today's game, they got one hit with runners in scoring position and that was the difference," San Francisco head coach Nino Giarratano said. "We lose a game today because we can't get a hit with runners in scoring position. That's tough because it's been like that for the last four or five games."
 
San Francisco will return to action on Friday when they open their first home conference series of the season against Saint Mary's at 3 p.m.
 
The Dons had the making of a two-out rally in the first inning when they got two on via a hit batsman and a single from Dominic Miroglio for Derek Atkinson but the senior centerfielder tapped out to shortstop to end the threat.
 
Granoff got into some trouble in the second but was nearly able to squeeze out of it. After a one-out double, he retired the next batter and was one out from getting out of the inning unscathed but UC Davis' John Williams singled to right to bring the run home and put the Aggies up 1-0.
 
Two batters later, UC Davis had the bases loaded but Granoff got a fly ball to left to end the frame and kept it a one-run deficit.
 
Granoff found his rhythm after that when he retired 12 of the next 13 batters and got into the eighth inning for his second straight outing. In the seventh, UC Davis has a runner on with one down and Granoff got a soft groundball back to him and he started the 1-6-3 double play to end the inning.
 
He finished the day with a career-best 7.1 innings and allowed one run on eight hits. The freshman left hander has now thrown 20.2 innings over his last three starts and has an ERA of 1.74.
 
"We pitched great and we played defense today and we threw the ball well from behind the plate," Giarratano said. "A lot of positive things but the same story offensively. We got one guy that is productive and the other eight guys are dead outs right now."
 
With two outs in the third, Brendan Hendriks singled to center and it advanced Connor Hofmann to third to set up runners at the corners for Miroglio. The Dons designated hitter, who went 2-for-4 on the afternoon, flied out to center to end the inning.
 
Hendriks also collected a pair of hits and reached base three times as he went 2-for-3 with a hit by pitch.
 
UC Davis chased Granoff from the game in the eighth on a one-out double to right.
 
The Dons brought in Anthony Buonopane and he picked off the runner at second. Two batters later and with a man on first, Matt Narahara came in and got a comebacker but was able to knock it down and get the out at first to end the inning.
 
NOTES
Justin McCullough started the game behind the plate and gunned down a would-be base stealer at second to end the sixth inning. Ryan Matranga took over in the ninth and threw out a runner of his own for the second out of the inning.