SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The USF baseball team had a lead, lost it, and battled back twice only to succumb to a four-run seventh inning in a 9-5 loss at Sacramento State on Monday evening from John Smith Field.
 
Matt Sinatro led the Dons with a 3-for-5 showing at the plate where he drove in a run and scored while swiping two bases. Michael Perri doubled and collected a pair of hits with an RBI and a run scored and Riley Helland added a two-run double in the fourth.
 
After taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the third on Sinatro's RBI single, USF (18-19) fell victim to the long ball. The Dons surrendered three home runs on the night, including a pair of two-run homers in the bottom of the third that allowed Sacramento State to erase USF's short-lived lead and move ahead 4-1.
 
A leadoff single by Sacramento State's  Trent Goodrich started the third and was immediately followed by Dawsen Bacho's two-run homer off USF starter Sam Granoff, who escaped with a no decision, but gave up four runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings while recording two strikeouts.
 
With two outs, Vinny Esposito homered with a runner on second to cap off the four-run inning.
 
"We had a chance to take the momentum," head coach Nino Giarratano said. "We didn't make a defensive play right there and then the next guy hits a home run. That made it tough on us. If we keep it to two in that inning, we're in the ball game. We're not going good enough offensively to battle back from a 4-1 deficit."
 
The Dons did answer though with three runs in the top of the fourth to tie the game. A Smoot leadoff single and Perri's double setup Helland's two-run double. Tyler Villaroman later picked up a two-out RBI single to even it up at 4-4.
 
Sacramento State (18-18) climbed back ahead on Kody Reynold's solo home run in the bottom of the fifth off USF reliever Riley Ornido.
 
Perri's sacrifice fly in the seventh plated Sinatro and helped even the score again at 5-5.
 
However, the Hornets would answer against Joey Steele in the bottom half of the seventh as a leadoff double sparked a four-run rally that would decide the outcome. Esposito and Andrew McWilliam produced run-scoring hits for Sac State and PJ Floyd ripped a two-out two-run double that put the game out of reach.
 
Steele (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on four hits with a walk in his two innings of work.
 
The Dons and Hornets meet again on Tuesday afternoon at Benedetti Diamond with first pitch slated for 3 p.m.