SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The USF baseball team fell behind 4-0 after the first two innings, and despite chipping away at the lead throughout the game, the Dons suffered a 6-5 loss to Grand Canyon on Tuesday night at Santa Clara's Stephen Schott Stadium.
 
Nico Giarratano (1-for-4, 3 RBI) delivered his first home run of the season, while the Dons received solid bullpen support out of Benji Post (3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, BB), Brock Larson (4.0 IP, 2H, R, BB, 3 K) and Frank Waliczek (1 IP, H, K) in keeping USF in the game after getting into an early hole. 
 
Harrison Bruce helped set the table with a 2-for-4 day at the plate and two runs scored.
 
USF starter Joey Steele (0-1) took the loss in his first collegiate start, only lasting one-third of an inning, allowing three runs on two hits with two walks.
 
"The way Brock Larson pitched was great for us," said head coach Nino Giarratano, "and the way the offense battled back again. They're down in the second and they come back, then we're just one base hit away; they come back and we get the tying run in scoring position. 
 
"We didn't play good defense. We had six mistakes and we lose a 6-5 ballgame. We're just giving too much up; too many walks, too many hit-by-pitches, too many missed plays defensively."
 
Grand Canyon (8-4) wasted no time in taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first by getting a leadoff single to start the game and back-to-back walks that setup Garrison Schwartz's RBI groundout and Preston Pavlica's two-run single.
 
The Antelopes would add another in their next trip to the plate when Paul Panaccione singled through the left side to drive in a run.
 
USF (2-12) got on the board in the bottom of the third when Giarratano sent Tyler Wyatt's 3-1 offering off the top of the right field fence for a two-run home run to cut the Antelope lead to 4-2.
 
The margin didn't last long, however, as Grand Canyon got a leadoff triple from Thomas Lerouge to start the top of the fourth. He came across when the next batter, Austin Bull, hit a ground ball to third that Allen Smoot bobbled.     
 
In the top of the sixth, Grand Canyon took advantage of another Smoot fielding error to get a runner on, then two batters later Bull ripped a two-strike, two-out double down the left field line to bring home the unearned run and put the Antelopes up 6-2.
 
USF answered in its half of the sixth by pushing across three runs on back-to-back one-out bases-loaded RBI walks by Giarratano and Smoot and a bases-loaded ground out by Blake Valley that plated Bruce and brought the Dons to within one at 6-5.
 
That would be as close as USF would get as the Grand Canyon bullpen only allowed two baserunners over the final 3.2 innings.
 
Cameron Brendel (2-0) earned the win in relief for the Antelopes, throwing 1.2 innings,only allowing one hit while striking out one. 
 
The top three hitters in the GCU lineup – Lerouge (2-for-4, 2 R), Bull (2-for-4, R, RBI) and Paul Panaccione (2-for-4, R, RBI) - each recorded multi-hit nights.
 
 
WEB GEMS: RF Brady Bate showed off his throwing arm with two outs and a runner on first in the top of the seventh. Bate fielded a Grand Canyon base hit on the bounce and came up with a rocket that hit Allen Smoot on the fly waiting at third base to apply the tag on the runner trying to go from first to third on the play.
 
NOTES: RHP Joey Steele made his first-career start… this was the third game this year in which the Dons have committed three errors… RHP Brock Larson recorded his longest outing of the year with 4.0 IP in relief… the Dons are now 2-5 in one-run games this year… DH Blake Valley extended his team-best eight-game hitting streak with a single in the fifth inning.
 
UP NEXT: The Dons travel to Corvallis, Ore. for a three-game series with the Oregon State Beavers, who come into the weekend ranked as high as No. 4 in multiple polls. RHP Anthony Shew (0-1, 5.40) will get the start to open up the series. Friday's contest is slated for a 5:35 p.m. first pitch followed by a 1:35 p.m. start on Saturday and a 1:05 p.m. first pitch in the series finale on Sunday.