SPOKANE, Wash. – The USF baseball team avoided a sweep by claiming a 7-2 victory over Gonzaga in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at Patterson Baseball Complex. USF (13-11, 2-4 WCC) jumped out to an early lead with four runs in the second inning and never looked back.
 
Senior Allen Smoot helped spark the offense with a 4-for-5 day that included his first home run of the year and a pair of runs driven in. Junior Dominic Miroglio tallied two RBI and Manny Ramirez, Jr. and Harrison Bruce each collected a pair of hits on the day.  
 
"It was a good win today," said head coach Nino Giarratano. "It's always good to avoid a sweep, but I think this is going to be a really good signature win for us down the road as we get back into the [WCC] race.
 
"I thought everyone played hard today. In that 16-inning game yesterday we had three or four chances but couldn't execute, and sometimes that happens. But when you look at it, I thought we were one pitch or one play away from winning two out of three this weekend."
 
USF starter Benji Post (4-0) followed his two-thirds of an inning in relief on Saturday by scattering five hits over 6.2 innings en route to Sunday's victory. The only runs Post allowed came on a two-run homer off the bat of Tyler Frost in the fourth inning. 
 
"Benji was sharp," Giarratano commented. "He threw strikes and did a good job of getting ahead of hitters. He was really sharp in relief yesterday, too, and gave us a strong 90 pitches today."
 
The Dons took advantage of a Gonzaga throwing error with one out in the top of the second to load the bases, helping push across a pair of runs when Matt Sinatro was hit by a pitch and Nico Giarratano drew a bases-loaded walk. Smoot kept the rally going when he laced an RBI single to right field and Ross Puskarich gave the Dons a 4-0 advantage with a one-out ground ball that plated Sinatro.
 
USF added a pair of insurance runs with Miroglio's two-run double in the fourth and Smoot blasted a solo shot in the eighth.
 
Gonzaga (13-11, 5-1 WCC) finally got on the board when Frost connected for the long ball off Post before the sophomore right-hander induced a double play two batters later to end the inning.
 
The Dons' bullpen helped Post keep the Zags scoreless from there as Brendan Jenkins came on in relief to throw 2.1 innings where he struck out five, including three of the last four batters he faced.    
 
"Jenkins was just phenomenal," Giarratano said. "Very sharp."
 
Frost went 2-for-4 to lead Gonzaga at the plate.
 
The Dons got to Gonzaga starter Daniel Bies (1-2) early, forcing the Zags to make a pitching change after just 1.1 innings in which Bies allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits while walking three.
 
"I thought offensively we were way better today," Giarratano added. "They gave us some free bases, but altogether our guys just hung in there today. They showed the resiliency you want out of a veteran team."
 
The Dons return to action on Tuesday when they head back out on the road to face Nevada at 1 p.m. in Reno.