Follow the Diamond Dons: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
 
NEW ORLEANS, La.—Jack Hall and Cody Snider came on as late game pinch hitters and sparked the Dons' offense but it was not enough as Tulane scored three in the first inning to beat USF 5-3 on Sunday afternoon.
 
"We played hard, we stayed with it," San Francisco head coach Nino Giarratano said. "We fought back. We had the tying run at the plate in the ninth. Good effort by us to get to that point in the game."
 
USF got one across in the seventh when with two outs Hall and Snider both came in as pinch hitters and both came up with doubles to make it a three-run game.
 
"The bench was ready to play," Giarratano said. "It's nice to have those guys. We just have to find the consistency with our offense and its keeping us from scoring runs."
 
Down three runs in the eighth, the Dons began to mount a rally. After the first two batters were retired, Derek Atkinson was hit by a pitch and Brendan Hendriks walked to put two on for Dominic Miroglio. He promptly singled up the middle to load the bases which is when Tulane closer Eric Steel sent one to the backstop, scoring Atkinson to make it 4-2.
 
"I like what I see in the middle of the lineup and what they're going to be able to do for us," said Giarratano.
 
Tulane got one back in the bottom half of the inning on a home run from Garrett Deschamp.
 
The Dons fired back in the ninth and got it started with a double from Hall, his second of the game. Two batters later, Connor Hofmann singled to center to plate Hall and cut the deficit to 5-3. It would be as close as USF would get.
 
San Francisco has played eight games in the last 10 days and will have one of their longest in-season breaks as it does not play again until Feb. 27 in the Lobo Classic against Utah Valley and New Mexico.
 
"We need to get healthy, we've got guys that are sick, a little banged up," Giarratano said. "It gets a little tiring but it builds good character."
 
Much like on Saturday, the Dons had a chance in the first to take a lead. With two down, Atkinson and Hendriks drew walks to put two on for Miroglio but he flied out to left to end the top half of the inning.
 
Tulane jumped on the Dons in the bottom half. After a double from Hunter Hope brought home the first run of the ballgame, Hunter Williams homered to right center and gave the Green Wave a 3-0 lead.
 
"It's hard to overcome," Giarratano said. "[Rincon] just wasn't sharp in the first."
 
Dons starter Jeider Rincon settled down after a rocky first frame and did not allow another hit until he fifth. The freshman lefty would get into the sixth and that is when the Green Wave added another on a home run from Gary Brown to give them a 4-0 cushion.
 
Giarratano said, "I thought all three starters gave us a great chance to win. Both [Anthony Shew and Christian Cecilio] should have won their starts. We have those little breakdowns here and there."
 
The starting pitchers for the Dons threw a total of 21 innings and allowed five earned runs against Tulane (2.14 ERA).
 
NOTES
Cody Snider has three hits this season and all of them are doubles… Derek Atkinson reached base in the first on a walk and has now reached base in 25 of his last 26 games dating back to last season, including all eight this season… Senior transfer Connor Hofmann went 7-for-14 with three stolen bases in his first weekend of action.