SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Evening the series in dramatic fashion, the University of San Francisco baseball team (17-17, 6-5 WCC) battled No. 17 Gonzaga (20-8, 8-3 WCC) all afternoon before
Mario DeMera blasted a three-run walk off home run in the bottom of the ninth to notch the 14-11 victory and USF's fourth walk-off win of the season.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Striking first for the second day in a row, GU got on the board with a sacrifice fly in the top of the first, but the Dons quickly answered with a two-run shot from Harris Williams III in the bottom of the inning to grab the early 2-1 lead.
- With no action in the second or third, the Bulldogs regained control, 6-2, on five runs, two hits and two errors in their turn at the dish in the fourth.
- Trading blows in the innings to follow, USF responded with one run in the home half of the fifth, which was then followed by two more runs from Gonzaga in the top of the sixth. Drawing even in the next half inning, the Dons plated five runs on three hits to knot the game at 8, which was highlighted by the first home run of the season from Brandon Greim.
- Proving to be a back-and-forth affair, GU would jump on top, 10-8, on a two-run home run from Savier Pinales in the seventh, but USF showed their grit once again by retaking their advantage, 11-10, in the bottom of the eighth. Notably, the Dons pushed across the go-ahead run on a safety squeeze from Lane Oliphant as DeMera slid past the defense to give San Francisco the lead.
- Moving into the ninth, Ezra Samperi would tie the contest one final time with a solo shot in the top of the inning, but USF once again had magic up their sleeve. After Luke Keaschall lined a single into center field and Jordan Vujovich was intentionally walked in the bottom of the inning, DeMera launched a three-run bomb over the left center field wall to even the series and send the Dons home with a 14-11 walk-off victory.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Exploding on offense, USF broke out for 14 runs on the afternoon, marking their highest total in a single game so far this season.
- Individually, five different Dons recorded at least two hits in the win: Keaschall (3), Williams III (3), DeMera (2), Greim (2) and Michael Campagna (2). Getting it done when it mattered most, DeMera's five RBI's mark a new career-high for the San Mateo native while Greim also tallied a new career-high with three RBI's.
- On the base paths, Keaschall swiped two more bases on Saturday, pushing his season total to 23 stolen bases, good for first in the WCC and tied for fourth nationally.
POSTGAME:
UP NEXT:
Game three of the weekend series between the Bulldogs and Dons is set for tomorrow, Sunday, Apr. 10 at 1:00 pm. Right-hander Owen Wild will take the mound for GU to begin while
Jesse Barron will make his sixth start of the year for USF. Live streaming, live statistics and tickets 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.
