SAN FRANCISCO  – The USF hitters went to work early and never let up en route to a season-high run output in a 13-3 win over San Diego on Friday afternoon at Benedetti Diamond.
 
Sophomore outfielder Brady Bate's team-leading fourth home run of the season and season-high four RBI on the day led USF (14-26, 8-8 WCC) to consecutive series-opening wins for the first time this year following last Friday's victory over Gonzaga.
 
Matt Sinatro, Ross Puskarich, Aaron Ping and Blake Valley all joined Bate in recording two hits apiece.
 
"We got big hits today, we made pitches, [Anthony] Shew was great and offensively we did what we needed to do," said head coach Nino Giarratano, whose squad has now won four in a row and five of the last six over the Toreros.
 
"We put the ball in play today with runners in scoring position and got some big hits with runners in scoring position. We're getting guys seeing it a little better, drawing walks, and when you couple that with 13 hits you're going to score a lot of runs."
 
Senior right-hander Anthony Shew (3-5) was masterful mixing his fastball with his changeup all day long, allowing just one run over 7.1 innings while registering a season-high eight strikeouts before being replaced by Brock Larson with one out in the seventh.
 
"Today I really felt sharp," said Shew, after throwing his fifth quality start in his last six outings and his sixth overall on the year. "I knew coming in that last year I just pitched off my fastball against these guys and they didn't particularly like the changeup, so once I established that changeup and felt good in rhythm it just fell into place."  
 
Shew worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the top of the second by getting a strikeout, groundout and fly out in succession to keep San Diego (20-21, 7-9 WCC) scoreless. After that, Shew allowed just two runners over the next four-plus innings until Kevin Collard hit a solo home run with one out in the top of the seventh.
 
"I thought the biggest inning was the second inning when Shew put up a zero," added Giarratano. "He just kept making pitches and got out of it. That was a big momentum boost for us."
 
The Dons had runners in scoring position in every inning except the fourth and seventh, going 8 for 17 as a team in those situations.
 
Bate's three-run blast that hugged the left field foul pole gave the Dons a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. USF forced Torero starter Troy Conyers to throw 35 pitches in the first frame.  
 
The Dons got a RBI singles from Valley in the second and Bate and Ping in the fifth.  
 
Kyle Norman, who came in as a defensive replacement in right, kept the eighth-inning rally going with a two-out two-run double.
 
Senior catcher Ryan Matranga made the most of his lone hit on the day, ripping a base-clearing double into the gap to cap off a six-run eighth and put the game out of reach.
 
Sinatro turned in a solid all-around game by making a great defensive play in the top of the fifth with a leaping catch up against the wall in right center to take an extra-base hit away from Daniel Gardner.
 
San Diego did manage to put up two runs in the top half of the ninth against Larson. Gardner bounced out to first with runners at second and third, scoring a run, while pinch-hitter James Bonds doubled home a run in the next at-bat.
 
Conyers (4-5) took the loss, going five innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits with a pair of walks and six strikeouts.
 
Roman Garcia, Brhet Bewley and Kevin Collard each had two hits on the day for the Toreros.
 
 
NOTES: OF/IF Matt Sinatro extended his team-best hitting streak to 10 in a row with a single in the second innings… Sinatro stole three bases for the second time this season (at Cal, Mar. 29)… RF Brady Bate's four RBI are the most in a game for a Don this season… SS Nico Giarratano extended his team-best on-base streak to 14 games, surpassing Beau Bozett and Blake Valley for the longest such streak this season.  
 
UP NEXT: The Dons and Toreros continue their three-game series on Saturday with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. from Benedetti Diamond. Freshman righty Thomas Ponticelli (2-4, 5.12) will matchup on the mound with USD right-hander Gary Cornish (5-2, 4.19). The contest will be streamed live on TheW.tv and feature live stats at USFDons.com.