TUESDAYUSF (8-18, 3-3 WCC) at No. 10 Cal (14-6, 4-2 Pac-12) Tuesday, Mar. 29 | 7 p.m. Evans Diamond | Berkeley, Calif. Coverage: Live Stats | TV: Pac-12 Network (Roxy Bernstein & Dean Stotz) PROBABLE STARTERS
USF: LHP Scott Parker (1-1, 7.20) | CAL: RHP Tanner Dodson (0-2, 2.03)
Complete Game Notes [PDF]
SAN FRANCISCO – The USF Dons (8-18, 3-3 WCC) will cross the Bay Bridge for a 7 p.m. nonconference contest at Cal (14-6, 4-2 Pac-12) on Tuesday evening. That game will be aired live on the Pac-12 Network with Roxy Bernstein and Dean Stotz on the call from Evans Diamond.
Fans can also follow Tuesday's action via live stats with links available at USFDons.com.
THE STORY SO FARThe Dons went 1-2 against Pacific this past weekend.
USF edged Pacific in the first game of the series, 3-2, in the 11
th annual Dante Benedetti Classic at AT&T Park this past Thursday. The Dons were propelled by
Anthony Shew's season-best 7.2 innings of work en route to his first victory of the year, while picking up just enough offense behind
Dan James' two-run single in the bottom of the seventh to win the series opener.
The Dons headed out to Stockton for the final two games of the series, suffering a 5-3 loss on Friday evening at Klein Family Field as UOP starter Ricky Reynoso held the Dons scoreless through his seven innings of work. USF picked up its only offense with a three-run home run by
Brady Bate with two outs in the top of the ninth, but that would be as close as the Dons would get.
On Saturday, Pacific got out to an early lead and never looked back as the Dons suffered a 14-2 defeat in the series finale. Pacific's offense was buoyed by a four-run third inning and a six-run outburst in the bottom of the sixth – all with two outs – that put the game out of reach as
James Kannenberg suffered his second loss of the season with three innings of work where he allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits with one walk.
Ross Puskarich hit his team-leading third home run and drove in a pair in the loss.
- The Dons have scored in the seventh inning or later in 12 of their last 15 games; they are 6-9 in those contests.
- INF Ross Puskarich notched his first-career three-hit game by going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI this past Saturday at Pacific
- INF Allen Smoot has now hit safely in his last six contests, hitting at a .476 (10-for-21) clip with four doubles, three RBI and three runs scored during that span
- INF Dan James has paced the Dons offensively over the past 10 games, hitting .381 (8-for-21) with two doubles, six RBI and two runs scored
- Through the first 13 games of the season, the Dons were hitting .277 with a 6.44 team ERA; the last 13 games have seen the Dons hit at a .256 clip with a 3.93 ERA
ABOUT CAL The Cal Bears enter the week with a 14-6 overall record and a 4-2 mark in Pac-12 play after sweeping No. 3 Oregon State at home this past weekend. Cal won by scores of 6-2, 5-0 and 5-3.
Catcher Brett Cumberland (.383, 7 HR, 19 RBI) has powered the Bear offense, while third baseman Mitchell Kranson (.359, 3 HR, 12 RBI), first baseman Brendan Farney (.286, HR, 14 RBI) and left fielder Nick Halamandaris (.286, 7 2B, 15 RBI) have chipped in for the Bears.
As a team, Cal enters the week hitting .284 with 14 home runs and are 17-of-24 on stolen base attempts. On the mound, Cal sports a 2.80 team ERA with 148 strikeouts in 180.0 innings, while opponents are hitting .249 against the Bears' staff.
Cal was ranked among the top-25 by every major poll this week: No. 10 (Baseball America), No. 12 (D1Baseball.com), No. 12 (NCBWA), No. 13 (USA Today).
THE SERIESThe Dons are 15-22 against Cal under head coach
Nino Giarratano (since 1999). The Bears won the first meeting this year, 5-4, on Feb. 24 at Evans Diamond. In that game, Cal got out to an early 2-0 lead before the Dons came back to tie it in the top of the second behind a two-run home run from
Aaron Ping. But a three-run fourth inning helped give the Bears a lead they never relinquished, even though USF put up two runs in the top of the seventh to make it a one-run ballgame.
Benji Post (3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 BB) took the loss in that game for USF, while Aaron Shortridge (3.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, BB, 4 K) earned the win.
