FRESNO, Calif.  – USF found some of the clutch hitting they've been looking for and the Dons' seniors played a vital role in their final collegiate games, ending their careers with a 7-3 win over Fresno State on Friday evening at Beiden Field.
 
Even though the Dons have their season finale remaining on Saturday, most of the seniors are heading back to the Hilltop to attend their commencement ceremony. So Friday's win helped put a bow on their careers. 
 
"Good win," said head coach Nino Giarratano. "Good effort by the guys. You just tip your hat to the perseverance of Blake and Ryan and what they've meant to this program. Ryan caught his heart out tonight and Blake came up with that big base hit. I'm really happy for those guys that they go out as winners."
 
Blake Valley doubled in the go-ahead run in the sixth, while Ryan Matranga threw out two runners, picked off another and drove in a run for good measure.    
 
Allen Smoot paced the Dons at the plate with a double and three RBI.
 
Thomas Ponticelli (4-6) turned in his fourth quality start of the year in picking up the victory in his final outing of the season. His night got off to a rocky start as he allowed two runs in the first, but he settled in to hold the Bulldogs scoreless over the next five frames. He scattered three hits between the second and sixth and was the beneficiary of a pair of double plays.  
 
"I thought he bounced backed," said Giarratano on Ponticelli's start. "He mixed speeds and his breaking ball was good, so I'm really happy; that's a step in the right direction for him."    
 
Ponticelli ended the night with 6.1 innings pitched where he allowed two runs on nine hits and three strikeouts.
 
Fresno State (36-19) got started right away with a pair of runs in the first off Ponticelli. Scott Silva doubled in a run, followed by Austin Guibor's two-out RBI single.
 
Smoot helped USF (21-34) start chipping away as he drove in a run in the third with a double in the left-center gap.
 
"I saw the ball well," said Smoot. "I worked on a little thing earlier in BP just trying to stay a little more stacked and I really tried to simplify and put good swings on the ball."
 
With runners on second and third and one out in the fourth, Matranga bounced out to second base but picked up an RBI in the process as Beau Bozett crossed the plate to tie the game at 2-2.
 
Valley delivered the go-ahead run with a one-out double over the center fielder's head in the top of the sixth, giving the Dons a 3-2 edge.
 
The Dons took a 7-2 lead with the help of a one-out error by first baseman Aaron Arruda that helped kick start a four-run seventh. Smoot chopped a two-run single over the first baseman and Riley Helland sliced a two-run double into the left-center gap.
 
Fresno State would tack on their final run with Silva's RBI groundout in the eighth.
 
"Pretty well-played game for us tonight," said Giarratano. "We got some big base hits with runners in scoring position and we made some pitches and we made some good plays."
 
USF went 4 for 10 with runners in scoring position and 6 for 14 with runners on base, while handing Fresno State starter Jimmy Lambert (10-1) his first loss of the year. Lambert allowed three runs on six hits over six complete innings with a walk and six strikeouts.
 
Ryan Dobson, Jake Stone and Jesse Medrano each collected two hits on the night for the Bulldogs.
 
 
NOTES: 1B Ross Puskarich extended his hitting streak to a team-best 16 games with a bloop single in the sixth that dropped between the right fielder and second baseman… SS Nico Giarratano has hit safely in his last 10 games, his longest streak of the year… Matt Sinatro made his first start of the year at second base.
 
UP NEXT: The Dons and Bulldogs conclude their respective regular seasons on Saturday afternoon with a 2:05 p.m. tilt from Beiden Field. Junior righty James Kannenberg (6-4, 3.48) will toe the rubber opposite Fresno State right-hander Tim Borst (3-2, 1.58). The series finale can be followed via live stats on GoBulldogs.com, a live video stream on the Mountain West Network and a radio broadcast on 940 AM ESPN in the Central Valley.