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LUBBOCK, Tex.—The Dons opened the season by visiting one of the best teams in the country and rallied in the final innings, scoring three runs in the final two frames, but fell short as they lost to No. 12/5 Texas Tech 9-7 on Friday afternoon.
 
"I'm happy with the effort by the guys," San Francisco head coach Nino Giarratano said. "I think we played hard, we ran the bases hard. We got in the box and battled. We gained a little bit of confidence."
 
In the eighth inning with USF down four, the Dons loaded the bases with one out and Giarratano went to Jack Hall as a pinch hitter and he ripped a single up the middle to bring home Brendan Hendriks and Michael Eaton and make it an 8-6 game.
 
After a Texas Tech home run in the eighth made it a three-run game, the Dons came back out in the ninth and put together another rally.
 
With one out, Derek Atkinson doubled and Hendriks singled to set up runners at first and third for Dominic Miroglio. The UCLA transfer wasted no time and sent a 1-1 pitch into rightfield to an RBI single and pushed it back to a 9-7 game.
 
It was Miroglio's first hit and first RBI as a Don.
 
Freshman Ross Puskarich pinch hit for Eaton and grounded into the game-ending double play.
 
"I though the guys coming off the bench were ready to go," Giarratano said. "Great at bat from Jack Hall. We had some guys that were ready to play.
 
"When you're playing a team like this, you can't let up on them."
 
The Dons got their first opportunity to get on the board in the second inning when Miroglio advanced to second on a ground out to third and it brought up Justin McCullough. The designated hitter on Friday, who hit .304 last season, struck out to end the threat.
 
San Francisco was back on the attack in the third. USF loaded the bases with swinging bunt single by Kyle Nixon, Zack McCoy was hit by a pitch, and a bunt single by Matt Sinatro and this brought up Nico Giarratano. The sophomore ripped a single up the middle which brought home one and gave the Dons a 1-0 lead.
 
Atkinson followed it with a grounder to first, which Texas Tech tried to turn into a double play but the return throw to first got away, and allowed Nixon and Sinatro to score and gave the Dons a 3-0 lead.
 
Dons starter Anthony Shew had thrown two scoreless innings going into the third inning and Texas Tech came roaring back. The Red Raiders loaded the bases on a walk, hit, and a hit by pitch and then Tyler Neslony sliced a double down the leftfield line to score all three and tie the game.
 
It was the first of three straight doubles and Texas Tech took a 6-3 lead.
 
"We gave too much up. If we hold them to three in the third, we win the game," Giarratano said. "We battled back and we couldn't stop them from scoring."
 
The Dons chipped away in the fifth when Sinatro walked, stole second, and then Giarratano hit one hard right at the Texas Tech second baseman Bryant Burleson and it skipped under his glove to score Sinatro and make it a 7-4 game.
 
The team will get ready for a doubleheader tomorrow as they will play two against Texas Tech, beginning at 10 a.m. PT. Jeider Rincon and Sheldon Lee are slated to make the starts for the Dons.
 
NOTES
Dominic Miroglio, Zack McCoy, and Jack Hall all picked up their first hits in Green and Gold on Friday… Brendan Hendriks went 2-for-4 in the game, dating back to last season is his third straight two-hit performance… It was the first time the Dons had played Texas Tech since 2009.