DAVIS, Calif. – The USF baseball team got RBI singles from Blake Valley and Matt Warkentin in the first and second innings, and that proved to be all the offense the Dons would need in their 2-1 road victory over UC Davis at Dobbins Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
 
"I thought we did some good things today," said head coach Nino Giarratano. "We scored first, got a hold, scored again, got a hold. We played good defense today and we made some pitches, and I think if you do that you've got a chance to be successful.
 
"We weren't really good offensively today. This is a tough yard to hit in, so we had to hit it more on a line or more on the ground if we wanted to be successful and we didn't do that today. But I'm glad our pitchers gave our hitters an opportunity to win a game without putting up big numbers."
 
Valley (2-for-4, RBI) led the Dons at the plate, while Benji Post (1-2) picked up the win in relief, going three scoreless innings, only allowing one hit, walking one and striking out one.
 
"Thomas gave us a really good start and then I came in and was able to get some ground balls and throw strikes and then Mack came in and shut the door," said Post. "We want to use this game as momentum."
 
USF starter Thomas Ponticelli went four innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out two in his second start of the season.
 
Harrison Bruce led off the game by drawing a walk. He was driven in two batters later by Valley's RBI single lined up the middle.
 
In the top of the second, Warkentin made his first collegiate hit count when he laced a single into left field that scored Brady Bate from third and gave USF a 2-0 lead.
 
The Dons would hold the 2-0 lead until the bottom of the fourth when UC Davis (3-7) got on the board after stringing together three straight hits off Ponticelli to start the inning, ending with an RBI single to left field by Mark Cardinalli that cut the USF lead to 2-1.
 
The Dons put runners on first and second in the top of the seventh with a leadoff walk by Dan James and a line drive single by Aaron Ping, but the next two USF hitters struck out swinging, stranding the runners.
 
USF only left four runners on base all day, compared with five for the Aggies.  
 
Mack Meyer picked up his first save of the year after coming on in relief to start the eighth. Meyer got the first two outs of the ninth quickly with a pair of fly outs, but the Aggies got a runner on following an infield hit. However, the next batter bounced back to Meyer for the final out.
 
Cardinalli (3-for-4, RBI) and Ryan Anderson (2-for-4) paced the Aggie offense.
 
Chris Brown (0-2) took the loss for UC Davis after allowing two runs on four hits over four innings, and struck out one while walking one. 
 

WEB GEMS: With a runner on first and two outs in the bottom of the sixth, 3B Dan James went down to a sliding backhanded knee to snap up a hard hit chopper that took a big high hop and threw across to get the out. 
 
NOTES: Freshman 1B Matt Warkentin got his first-career start today and notched his first-career hit with an RBI single in the top of the second… RHP Thomas Ponticelli was the first USF starter to not allow a walk in a start this season… UC Davis' seven hits on the day tied for the fewest the USF pitching staff has allowed in a game this year.
 
UP NEXT: The Dons embark on a three-game series at Cal Poly this weekend with game one slated for a 6 p.m. first pitch on Friday, Mar. 4 with RHP Anthony Shew scheduled to take the mound for the Dons.