SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Digging in to their home turf for the first time in almost three weeks, the University of San Francisco baseball team (22-23, 10-9 WCC) outslugged Brigham Young (22-17, 7-9 WCC), 8-3, to take the series opener at Benedetti Diamond on Thursday afternoon.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- After starting pitcher Jonah Jenkins struck out four of the first six batters to begin the ballgame, the Dons struck first with four runs on three hits in the bottom of the second inning. Extending his on-base streak to thirteen straight games, the inning was highlighted by a bases-clearing three-run double from leadoff hitter Luke Keaschall as USF led 4-0 heading into the third.
- Despite the Cougars answering back with one run in the top of the third, the Dons responded in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI double off of the bat of Gabe Giosso to hold a 5-1 advantage through four complete.
- Settling in on the mound, Jenkins would toss six shutout innings before being relieved by Lance Santerre. Adding late insurance in the eighth, USF pushed their lead to seven with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the inning, which was highlighted by a two-run homerun by Harris Williams III.
- Aiming for some late magic, the Cougars attempted one last comeback with two runs on two hits in the top of the ninth, but the Dons would ultimately defend their home field and secure the 8-3 victory over BYU to take game one of the weekend set.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Setting the table at the top of the order, the trio of Keaschall, Williams III and Giosso combined to go 6-for-14 while driving in seven of USF's eight runs in the contest.
- Adding to the offense in the middle of the lineup, Mario DeMera extended his hitting streak to nine consecutive games while Brandon Greim pushed his streak to eight straight as both notched at least one hit on Thursday.
- Impressing in just his second start as a Don, Jenkins finished with a final line of 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB and 8 K's. Notably, the right hander set season-highs in innings pitched and strikeouts in the win
- Out of the bullpen, Julian Washburn logged his fourth straight scoreless outing and eighth in his last ten appearances as he slammed the door on the Cougars in the ninth inning.
POSTGAME:
UP NEXT:
USF will aim to grab the series victory tomorrow, Friday, Apr. 29 as the Dons and Cougars will battle in game two at Benedetti Diamond. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm as live streaming and live statistics are available via the
team's schedule page.
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the USF baseball program, be sure to follow @SFDonsBaseball on Twitter, @USFDonsBaseball on Instagram and @University.of.San.Francisco.Baseball on Facebook.
