SAN FRANCISCO — Early runs again put the University of San Francisco baseball team in a tough spot Saturday against visiting Saint Mary's, and this time the Dons' comeback attempt fell short, as the Gaels held on for a 6-4, West Coast Conference series-evening win at Benedetti Diamond.
Saint Mary's (21-21, 10-13 WCC) has scored seven of its 10 runs in the series during the first inning. Saturday, it put four on the board before San Francisco (19-21, 14-9 WCC) had come to the plate. After a strikeout to start the game, the Gaels got two doubles, two singles and a walk to push across four. It was back-to-back two-run hits from Kyle Velazquez and Nick Mistone that did the damage and chased USF starter
Grant Nechak (0-3) from the game after only 1/3 of an inning pitched.
"I was actually really pleased with the comeback once again, the comeback kids, but we made it tough on ourselves today when we gave up four in the first and then the two back-to-back home runs, but y'know, we climbed back in it," said San Francisco head coach
Nino Giarratano. "We didn't put together great at-bats in the seventh, eighth and ninth, but I thought we climbed back in it, made it 6-4, had chances. I was disappointed we didn't score in the first when we had an opportunity."
The Dons didn't go without a fight. They hit three home runs in the game, their 13th multi-homer game as a team and second in just their last three games (four at Pacific on Sunday).
Harris Williams got the Dons on the board with a solo shot in the fourth,
Jack Winkler crushed the first pitch he saw in the sixth to make it 6-2, and
Christian Stapleton hit a towering two-run bomb also in the sixth to bring the Dons within two.
But the difference in the game wound up being the Gaels' own power display. Already up 4-0 in the third, 3-4 hitters Justin Banks and Blake Mann went back-to-back with solo home runs on consecutive pitches to put SMC ahead 6-0.
"I knew eventually the pressure would get to the offensive part of the club," said Giarratano. "They have to fight from behind every single day and at some point in time you just don't have enough energy. You need outs and you need opportunities to breathe and not every at-bat is life or death, and it has been for 18 innings for them, so I think that's where the four hits come from. I think if we pitch a little better, we put together better at-bats, but we put a lot of pressure on ourselves today to hit, and their guy just executed good pitches."
The Dons had several other chances to score but couldn't cash in. They had two runners in scoring position with one out in the first and didn't score, having a run thrown out at the plate. They got a free baserunner to lead off the eighth on a hit-by-pitch, but rolled into a double play to nip the threat in the bud. And they had the tying run at the plate in the ninth with one out, but a strikeout and a flyout ended the game.
Chase Minor and
Max Jones came in and settled the game on the mound for San Francisco, combining to throw five shutout innings with two strikeouts and only one walk, scattering three hits.
The rubber match of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, with San Francisco righty
Eric Reyzelman scheduled to face Saint Mary's left-hander Ky Bush. Fans can find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.
"We're gonna have to do a much better job of making pitches tomorrow early in the game," said Giarratano. "Then we gotta have some at-bats where we stay in it, get to the fastball, so it'll be an interesting day tomorrow."
