SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Brady Bate had been hitless in his previous 13 at-bats but he came up big when his team needed him on Sunday afternoon as his three-run home run in the bottom of the third proved pivotal in lifting the Dons to a West Coast Conference series victory over first-place Gonzaga at Benedetti Diamond.
 
"I was just trying to put it in play, move the runners and score them however I could," said Bate. "Me and Coach G have been really working with my swing and it felt good today, so I think I'm starting to figure it out."
 
Following Ross Puskarich's sacrifice fly that tied the game at 2-2, Bate dug in with runners on the corners and one out and blasted his third home run of the year to deep left center field, tying him with Puskarich for the team lead.
 
"Scoring those four runs to take the lead in the third and the way we played defense were the keys," said head coach Nino Giarratano. "I'm really happy for Brady Bate; he had a big hit right there. That and our defense were difference makers for us."
 
USF starter James Kannenberg (4-3) posted his team-best fourth win of the year as he logged 7.2 innings where he allowed three runs on six hits while walking three and striking out a season-high six. Kannenberg went at least six innings for the fifth time in his last six starts and tallied his fourth quality start of the year.  
 
Kannenberg surrendered a pair of runs in the top of the first as a Taylor Jones RBI double and a Justin Jacobs run-scoring single gave Gonzaga (21-12, 10-5 WCC) a 2-0 lead. 
 
But Kannenberg settled into a groove where he only allowed three baserunners over his next six innings, including a span where he retired 10 in a row before Sam Brown led off the seventh with a double. His only other blemish outside of the first inning was a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth that cut the USF lead to 5-3.
 
"I thought Kannenberg was aggressive," added Giarratano. "I didn't think he was especially sharp, but he was aggressive."    
 
The Dons' bullpen stepped up to support Kannenberg as junior right-hander Mack Meyer turned in his second shutdown outing in as many days when he came on in relief of lefty Frank Waliczek – who had walked the only batter he faced in the eighth – with runners on first and second and induced a groundout to first base from pinch-hitter Jarod Gonzales to get out of the frame with a 5-3 lead intact.
 
Meyer was relieved by right-hander Joey Carney with two outs and a runner on first in the top of the ninth. Carney went on to secure his team-best third save of the year by getting leadoff man Sam Brown to groundout to Aaron Ping at second base for the final out.
 
USF (12-26, 7-8 WCC) did struggle to take advantage of offensive opportunities, however, as the Dons left 13 runners on base, one shy of their season high. The Dons had runners in scoring position in six innings on the day, but only scored in two of those.
 
Puskarich drove in a pair with sacrifice flies in the first and third innings. Matt Sinatro maintained his scorching production at the plate with a season-high three hits while adding a pair of walks and two runs scored.
 
Allen Smoot did not record a hit, but was walked four times, the most on the team this season and the most in a game for a Don since at least 2012, if not longer.  
 
On the defensive side, Smoot made a nice charging throw on a slow chopper to take a potential hit away from Brown in the fifth. Not to be outdone was defensive replacement Kyle Norman, who went up against the wall in right field to snatch an extra-base hit from Tyler Frost in the eighth.    
 
"I've been telling people if we can get home and play and get a crowd here and the kids can get some confidence, this is a good enough team," said Giarratano. "I really thought we had a chance to win all three games, but I'm excited about how the kids played this weekend."
 
Gonzaga starter Calvin LeBrun (2-2) took the loss after going just 2.2 innings, allowing five runs on five hits while issuing two walks.
 
The Zags' six hits were scattered among six different hitters, with Frost, Jones and Jacobs – the three-four-five hitters in the lineup – recording RBIs.
 
 
NOTES: Bate's home run was the first USF long ball in the newly renovated Benedetti Diamond and the fourth overall... OF/IF Matt Siantro has been on a tear of late, hitting .481 (13 for 27) over his last eight games, tallying seven walks, seven runs scored and four RBI; his on base percentage over that span sits at .583… between his two relief appearances in the series, RHP Mack Meyer stranded a total of five runners on base, all in the eighth inning, where he holds a team-best 1.50 ERA this year… Gonzaga came into Sunday's game alone in first place in the WCC standings, but with the loss, the Zags move into a three-way tie with BYU and Saint Mary's atop the conference; USF was tied for fifth (with Pacific) at the beginning of the day.  
 
UP NEXT: The Dons look to keep their momentum going when they host San Jose State on Tuesday afternoon at Benedetti Diamond. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. This will be the second meeting between the Dons and Spartans this season after USF defeated San Jose State 6-3 on March 15 at Municipal Stadium.