The Rundown
MORAGA, Calif. - The University of San Francisco Dons (20-12, 10-2 WCC) baseball team split their doubleheader with Saint Mary's (16-14, 6-6 WCC), in a pair of one-run ball games. USF won 1-0 in game one, while losing game two,  5-4.
 
Game one of the doubleheader was a pitching duel, which was highlighted by the performance of USF sophomore Riley Ornido. For the second time this year, the Dons leader in strikeouts and ERA would go 8 2/3 innings, keeping the Gaels off the scoreboard throughout his outing.
 
In the sixth inning the Dons got the lone run of the game. The first two batters of the inning would get on base through a single from Riley Helland and a Michael Perri walk. A batter later, RJ Cordeiro stepped into the batter's box and hit a chopper to the first baseman that took a hop over the Saint Mary's player's glove and into the outfield. Scoring on the play was Helland, which was all the Dons would need in this game.
 
Brendan Jenkins would come on for Ornido to get the final out of the game, which was a fly ball to right field.
 
The second game got off to a rough start for the Dons as two errors in the bottom of the first inning. After getting the first out of the inning, USF starting pitcher, Landen Bourassa, gave up four hits and a sacrifice fly that scored four unearned runs to make it 4-0, Saint Mary's.
 
Bourassa found his groove following the first inning, keeping the Gaels off the board for three straight innings. However, Saint Mary's would add another crucial run in the fifth inning on a solo home run by Jackson Thoreson, which made it 5-0.
 
In the eighth inning, USF would bring the lead to just one run on a four-run two-out rally. Tyler Villaroman started the rally with a double into left center field. Jonathan Allen came up next and singled into right field that brought Villaroman around to score to make it 5-1.
 
After a single from Helland, Perri would launch his fifth home run of the year, which was a no-doubter over the left field fence to bring the Dons within a run, 5-4.
 
In the ninth inning, the Dons would threaten with another two-out rally, but Michael Hobbs would strikeout Villaroman to make the final score 5-4, Saint Mary's.

USF is now 20-12 overall and 10-2 in the West Coast Conference. The Dons will be in the East Bay again on Tuesday night as they take on Cal in a one-game matchup beginning at 7 p.m.

COACHES CORNER
USF head coach Nino Giarratano

????| Split the doubleheader, but coach is still proud of the series win and team effort. pic.twitter.com/ImZld1zOjh

— USF Dons Baseball (@SFDonsBaseball) April 9, 2018

GAME STATS

• The Dons have won their fourth consecutive West Coast Conference series this year to move to 10-2 in conference play.
• With his win today, Riley Ornido now improves his team leading record to 7-0. He also improves his ERA to 1.50, which is first amongst the entire USF pitching staff.
• Ornido's six strikeouts today improves his team-leading total to 61.
• Perri's three hits in the doubleheader put him at 42 on the year, good for second on the team in that category.
• In the power stats, Perri's home run (5) and three RBIs (27) add to his lead in those categories.
• Riley Helland's two hits in game one of the doubleheader put his season total at 39.
• Allen added another two hits to his team leading tally (47), highlighted by his RBI single in the eighth inning.
• Alex Pham and Scott Parker combined to throw 2 1/3 innings of one-hit shutout baseball.