SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The USF baseball team can now take pleasure in recording its first win in the new home ballpark, doing so in convincing fashion with a 9-1 victory over the first-place Gonzaga Bulldogs on Friday afternoon at Benedetti Diamond.
 
"It feels great," said head coach Nino Giarratano on his team's first win in their new home. "It feels weird playing here back-to-back days, but it's almost like we're finally getting used to something."
 
Friday's game was just the second contest played at the new facility after USF lost to New Mexico on Wednesday.   
USF (11-25, 6-7 WCC) rode a season-best eight-inning outing from senior right-hander Anthony Shew (2-5). Shew allowed just one run while scattering seven hits and striking out six, one shy of his season best.
 
At one point, Shew retired nine in a row between the second and fifth innings before Gonzaga's Jace Vanderbake snapped the streak with a bunt single in the top of the fifth.
 
"Anthony was sharp, but when you look at the stat line, the no walks is the key," said Giarratano. "If we don't walk anybody and we don't give up free bases and we play good defense like that, good things can happen.
 
"He's a battler, that's what you see out of him. When we took the lead 5-1 you saw a guy go out there who was determined to win today. I saw some fire in him."
Ross Puskarich had another solid day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Sinatro drove in a pair and Bruce scored twice for USF.
 
Gonzaga (20-11, 9-4 WCC) got out to a quick start after Sam Brown led off the game with a double down the left field line. Two batters later, Taylor Jones drove him in with a double of his own down the right field line to put the Zags up 1-0 in the first inning.
 
The Dons caused their damage in the bottom of the second, taking advantage of two Gonzaga errors to take a 5-1 lead. With no outs and runners on first and second, Aaron Ping laid down a sacrifice bunt attempt that was fielded and thrown away by Gonzaga starter Brandon Bailey as he tried to get the lead runner at third, allowing Nico Giarratano to score on the miscue.
The next batter, Matt Warkentin, plated a run with a sacrifice fly to left, before Harrison Bruce and Matt Sinatro strung together consecutive run-scoring hits.
 
The Dons were the beneficiaries of an odd play with two outs and a runner at first with Allen Smoot at the plate. Gonzaga catcher Joey Harris tried to pick off Sinatro at second base, but his throw hit Smoot, who was standing in the batter's box, in the back of the head and bounced into Gonzaga's third base dugout, awarding Sinatro home plate on the two-base error.
 
With the 5-1 lead, that's when Shew took over and proceeded to keep Gonzaga scoreless through the remainder of the game.
 
Outside of allowing a run in the first inning, Shew's only other real jam was a one-out bases-loaded situation in the top of the second where was able to induce an infield fly pop up and an inning-ending groundout from Brown to get out of it.
 
The Dons added a run in the bottom of the fifth on a towering sacrifice fly from Dan James.
 
USF then added three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth when Gonzaga reliever Eli Thornquist walked in two runs with the bases loaded and gave up an RBI single to Smoot.  
 
With a 9-1 lead in hand, the Dons turned to lefty Frank Waliczek to close it out. Waliczek gave up back-to-back hits in the top of the ninth but came back to get a fly out before bobbling and finally corralling a tricky slow-rolling comebacker for the final out.
 
Bailey (5-2), who came into the game with just a 1.59 ERA on the year, was touched up for six runs (one earned) on five hits, while walking four and striking out seven.
 
Jones (2-for-4, 2B, RBI), Jacobs (2-for-4, 2B) and Patrick Chung (2-for-2) tallied multi-hit games for the Zags.  
 
   
NOTES: RHP Anthony Shew's eight innings surpassed his previous best of 7.2 innings pitched in a win over Pacific on Mar. 24 at AT&T Park… INF Allen Smoot has now hit safely in 15 of his last 17 games… this was the most runs the Dons have scored this year… USF notched its third straight win over Gonzaga, stretching back to last season.
 
UP NEXT: The Dons and Zags continue their three-game series on Saturday from Benedetti Diamond with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. Freshman right-hander Thomas Ponticelli (2-3, 5.22) will toe the rubber for USF, as Gonzaga counters with righty Eli Morgan (5-1, 3.95).
 
Saturday is scheduled to be the official grand opening of Benedetti Diamond ceremony, featuring a t-shirt giveaway, a pre-game ceremony honoring USF's players who have had their numbers retired and a special ceremonial first pitch. All three games of the series will be streamed live on TheW.tv.