SAN JOSE, Calif. — A big early deficit stunted the University of San Francisco baseball team again Tuesday, but that didn't stop the Dons from fighting back multiple times, eventually falling by only three runs wth the tying run at the plate in a 13-10 non-conference setback against San Jose State at Excite Ballpark.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• For the third time in the last four games, San Francisco (2-6) trailed by five runs after two innings. USF starter Eric Reyzelman (1-1) got through the first five batters of the game unscathed, but then with two outs in the second, allowed a walk, back-to-back singles to make it 1-0, a wild pitch to make it 2-0, another walk, then surrendered a three-run home run to San Jose State's (3-5) leadoff batter Ruben Ibarra to make it 5-0 just like that.
   
• USF stayed in it, though, and chipped away at its 5-0 deficit for the next three innings. A Robert Emery RBI single brought home the Dons' first run in the third, an infield RBI single from Nick Yovetich made it 5-2 in the fourth, and RBIs from Jacob Munoz and Harris Williams in the fifth brought it back to a one-run game at 5-4.
   
• San Jose State's offense got going again and answered with eight runs, four in each of the next two innings, to seemingly put the game out of reach at 13-4. Five free passes in the fifth helped power a four-run rally and make it 9-4 just a half-inning after the Dons had made it a one-run game. And five hits in the sixth tacked on another four runs with an RBI single, a two-run double and an RBI triple, all before two outs were recorded.
   
• Two underclassmen finally put a stop to San Jose State's explosiveness. Sophomore Ryan Cowdrey entered in the sixth with four runs already in and tallied three strikeouts without allowing a run to shutdown the rally. Freshman Jesse Barron threw scoreless seventh and eighth innings, allowing only one hit with a strikeout and no walks to keep San Francisco in it.
   
• Four consecutive base hits in the eighth were part of a five-run splash by the Dons that all the sudden made it a 13-9 game with only an inning left. Jack Winkler, Emery and Munoz all drove in runs in consecutive at-bats. Redshirt freshman Dillon McNeil made his collegiate career debut in a pinch-hit situation in the eighth, grounding out and bringing home his first career RBI to score Emery and make it 13-8 at the time. Fellow redshirt freshman Harris Williams followed with an important two-out RBI single to make it 13-9.
   
• In the ninth, the Dons got another clutch two-out RBI from Emery, his third RBI knock of the game to make it 13-10 and bring the tying run to the plate. But Munoz even with two RBI doubles already to his name, Munoz struck out looking to end the game. San Francisco batted over .400 Tuesday with runners in scoring position (7 for 17), it's best performance in the situation all season, but SJSU did even better with an 8 for 11 (.727) showing with runners on second and third.

COACH GIARRATANO QUOTES

• "It's always tough to win when you give up 13 runs in three innings. It was really nice to see us battle back down big twice, from 5-0 to 5-4 and 13-4 to 13-10 and with the tying run at the plate in the ninth."
   
• "We will need to put it all together soon: pitch, defend, and score. It was a great night for Yovetich, (Chase) Hodkinson, Munoz and Emery. We will get better as the year progresses."

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 4: Nick Yovetich went 4 for 5 for his fourth multi-hit game of the year. It's the first four-hit game by any Don this season, and raised his team-leading batting average to .424.
• 17: San Francisco tallied a season-high 17 hits, its most in a single game since collecting 23 at UC Davis on April 22 of last season. Only three hits went for extra bases (all doubles).

COMING UP

• San Francisco heads back to Southern California this weekend to face Cal State Fullerton in a three-game series starting Friday. Fans can find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.