SPOKANE, Wash.—The Dons sat through a lengthy rain delay on Sunday and had their game pushed to Monday afternoon but it did not dampen the team's momentum as they got a go-ahead RBI single from Ross Puskarich in the ninth and beat Gonzaga 4-3.
 
San Francisco has won three straight series, including two wins over No. 8 Oregon, and won six of the last eight games.
 
"We're playing pretty good," San Francisco head coach Nino Giarratano said. "We've won three straight series. That's a step in the right direction. The conference is tough. If we start swinging the bats, scoring six or seven runs, I think we can get this thing going."
 
Derek Atkinson started the Dons off in the ninth with a single off the glove of the Gonzaga first baseman.
 
"He's a very good performer late in the game," Giarratano said of Atkinson.
 
Two batters later, Manny Ramirez, Jr. was hit by a pitch and gave the Dons runners at first and second with two down for Puskarich. The freshman singled into right to score Atkinson and put USF up 4-3.
 
It was one of two hits on the day for Puskarich.
 
USF will be flying home tonight and will take on No. 29/24 California on Tuesday at Benedetti Diamond at 2 p.m. and face Pacific in West Coast Conference play for three, beginning on Friday.
 
Jeider Rincon found himself in trouble in the second. After getting a groundout and a pickoff to record the first two outs, he walked the next two batters and surrendered a single to right which brought home one and put Gonzaga up 1-0.
 
He walked two more to force in a run and give the Bulldogs a two-run lead.
 
Brock Larson came in to put out the fire and got the first batter he faced to pop up to end the inning.
 
The Dons got the first two runners aboard in the third and moved both up on a sacrifice bunt by Nico Giarratano. This set it up for Atkinson, who turned on a pitch and launched it over the rightfield wall for a three-run home run.
 
Atkinson went 2-for-4 on the day with two runs scored.
 
"First at bat was tough for [Atkinson] and he rolled it over," Giarratano said. "He battled to the 2-2 count in his second at bat and put a really good swing on it."
 
Gonzaga tied it up in the fifth on a solo home run off Larson. The sophomore right hander gave the Dons 2.2 innings and allowed the one run on two hits.
 
After a groundout and a walk, Matt Narahara came in out of the bullpen and got a groundball and a lineout to end the frame. He sat down the first five batters he faced and ran into a jam in the seventh.
 
A throwing error and a sacrifice bunt put a runner at third with one out but Narahara battled back and got a strikeout and a groundout to escape unscathed and keep it a 3-3 tie.
 
Gonzaga threatened to go ahead in the eighth after getting two on with one out. Travis Ulvestad was called out of the bullpen and he got the next batter to roll into the 5-4-3 double play. Logan West came in to close it out and retired Gonzaga in order in the ninth.
 
The quartet of Larson, Narahara, Ulvestad, and West combined to throw 7.1 innings and allowed one run on four hits.
 
"[Rincon] wasn't sharp and Brock got us out of a bases loaded jam. Narahara came in and pitched great. He was really aggressive," Giarratano said. "All in all, that is a great performance from our bullpen in a third game of the series."