STOCKTON, Calif. – The USF baseball team suffered a 14-2 loss at Pacific on Saturday afternoon at UOP's Klein Family Field, giving the Tigers the series victory.
 
USF starter James Kannenberg (2-2) had his shortest start of the year, going just three innings where he allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits while walking one. 
 
Ross Puskarich (3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) enjoyed a big day at the plate for USF (8-18, 3-3), but accounted for the only Dons runs on the day with his solo home run to lead off the second inning and an infield single that scored a run in the sixth. Allen Smoot (1-for-3) and Harrison Bruce (1-for-3) each added doubles in the game. 
 
"Rough day, obviously," said head coach Nino Giarratano. "Anything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. I think we've got to blame ourselves though, more than anything. When it was 6-2, we were in the ballgame – even with our mistakes - until we gave up the home run to Brusa, and that kind of deflated the whole group.
 
"It was one of those games; the game beats you up, but you can't get yourself down and feel sorry for yourself. I think this is a turning point for this club to battle back and play well the rest of the way."
 
Pacific's Danny Mayer clubbed his second home run in as many days as he jumped on an off-speed offering from Kannenberg in the bottom of the first for a two-run shot that gave the Tigers an early 2-0 lead.
 
With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the third, Louis Mejia chopped what looked like a foul ball down the third base line, but the home plate umpire ruled it fair, giving Mejia a base-clearing double that put Pacific up 5-0.
 
Mejia would come around to score from third two batters later when Kannenberg threw a wild pitch in the dirt that skipped away from Ryan Matranga behind the plate. 
 
The Dons didn't push across another run until the top of the sixth when Puskarich tapped a chopper back toward the mound that he beat out for a two-out RBI infield hit that scored Matt Sinatro from third and cut the Pacific lead to 6-2.
 
Pacific (9-13, 3-3) added six more in the bottom of the sixth – all with two outs - highlighted by Gio Brusa's two-run home run into the visitor's bullpen in right center field and JP Yakel's base-clearing three-run double.  
 
The Tigers tacked on two in the bottom of the seventh to give them their final 14-2 margin.
 
Pacific starter Taylor Johnson only went two innings, allowing a run on one hit before he was relieved by Justin Giovannoni to start the third. Giovannoni (1-0) earned the win with three scoreless innings where he allowed one hit and walked two.
 
Seven different Pacific hitters collected multiple hits on the day, led by Nate Verlin, JJ Wagner and Danny Mayer with three hits apiece.   
 
 
WEB GEMS: CF Matt Sinatro made a leaping catch against the center field wall on Lucas Halstead's long drive with one out and nobody on base in the bottom of the second… with one out and no one on in the bottom of the eighth, Aaron Ping made a in-between hop backhanded snag on a sharply hit ball off the bat of Joey Mejia to take away a base hit.   
 
NOTES: 1B Ross Puskarich now leads the Dons with three home runs on the year… Puskarich also notched his first-career three-hit game… 3B Allen Smoot has now hit safely in his last six contests... this was the Dons' largest margin of defeat this season… Pacific's 19 hits tied for the most USF has allowed this year.  
 
UP NEXT: The Dons travel across the bay to face Cal at Evans Diamond on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in a game that will be aired on the Pac-12 Network. The Bears came into the weekend ranked among the top-25 by every major poll: No. 15 (Baseball America), No. 17 (D1Baseball.com), No. 18 (NCBWA), No. 20 (Collegiate Baseball, USA Today).