SAN FRANCISCO—After a furious comeback that saw the Dons erase a six-run deficit in the late innings, LMU came roaring back and scored five in extra innings to send USF to the 12-7 loss on Senior Day, eliminating them from contention in the West Coast Conference Championship tournament.
 
"We had our chances," San Francisco head coach Nino Giarratano said. "I'm proud of the guys for fighting back and putting us in a position to tie the game. It really would have been a great win for us here at home. We played our hearts out, we just didn't get it done."
 
The Dons completed the season with a 23-31 record and finished fifth with a 15-12 record in WCC play, one win short of reaching the WCC Championship tournament.
 
Aided by home runs in the third and fourth innings, the Lions took a commanding 7-1 lead and looked primed to run away with the contest but the Dons began to chip away.
 
With runners at the corners and two down in the fifth, LMU starting pitcher Sean Watkins attempted the hidden ball trick but was on the mound for a balk and it brought in Connor Hofmann to cut the lead to five. In the seventh, Hendriks found the gap in right center and Nico Giarratano scored from first to make it a 7-3 game.
 
The rally continued in the eighth when Michael Eaton came up with two on and two down and he ripped a ball into the leftfield corner, which scored pinch runner Kyle Norman. Hofmann was next and he hit a high hopper to first that took a weird hop off the shoulder of the LMU first baseman and allowed Matt Sinatro to come in, cutting the Lion lead to 7-5.
 
All the while, senior lefty hander Matt Narahara was keeping the LMU lineup in check. After entering the game in the fourth, he threw five shutout innings and got the Dons to the ninth with a chance to extend the game.
 
In the ninth, LMU brought in closer J.D. Busfield and the Dons did not flinch as they got a leadoff single from Giarratano and a double from Derek Atkinson to put runners at second and third with one out.  Miroglio was next and he lined a ball into right center for a single to plate a run and made it a one-run game.
 
Justin McCullough stepped to the plate with runners at the corners and hit a groundball to third and the throw to second was offline and allowed Atkinson to scamper home to tie the game. Two batters later, Matt Sinatro had runners at first and second with two down and slapped ball deep into the hole at short but it was knocked down by LMU shortstop David Fletcher and held the runner at third to load the bases.
 
It came down to Eaton and, after fouling off three pitches, he popped up to third to end the inning.
 
The comeback trail ended in the 10th when LMU posted five runs in the frame and took a 12-7 lead, securing the win.
 
It was also the final game for the Dons' 12 seniors. Christian Cecilio, Brendan Hendriks, Logan West, Michael Eaton, Sheldon Lee, Derek Atkinson, Matt Narahara, Justin McCullough, Connor Hofmann, Zack McCoy, Anthony Buonopane, and Peter Danna were honored before the contest with their family and friends for their service while on the Hilltop.
 
"It was a great effort by all of the seniors," Giarratano said. "We had great leadership by that group all the time. Just proud of the seniors. Proud of what they did on the field for four years and really proud of what they did in the classroom and what they do as people."