SAN FRANCISCO –  The USF baseball team suffered a 5-3 loss on Friday afternoon at Benedetti Diamond as the visiting Saint Mary's Gaels plated the deciding runs in a three-run seventh inning.

The Dons (14-16, 2-8 WCC) got 6.2 innings of mostly strong pitching out of starter Grant Goodman until he ran into trouble in the top of the seventh and the bullpen wasn't able to get him out.

Goodman (2-2) allowed just two runs through the first five frames on a sacrifice fly in the third and a seeing-eye single through the left side in the fifth. With the game tied 2-2 heading into the seventh, Goodman gave up a one-out single to SMC leftfielder Brett Rasso, who terrorized the Dons all day, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored. Rasso stole second to get into scoring position and moved up on a groundout before USF head coach Nino Giarratano decided to summon right-hander Benji Post out of the bullpen with two outs and Rasso on third. Post allowed a go-ahead RBI double to Joey Fiske and a two-run double to Zach Kirtley.

 "I thought Goodman pitched great," Giarratano said. "I thought he pitched well enough to win. I wish I would have left him in, hindsight is 20/20. We've got to pitch better out of the bullpen. If we give up one, we're back in the game, but we can't give up three there."

Goodman took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits with three strikeouts and a pair of walks.

Matt Sinatro went 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Michael Perri tallied two hits on the day, but just missed out on a golden opportunity to cut into the deficit in the bottom of the seventh when, with the bases loaded, he hit a hard shot back up the middle that was deflected by Gaels pitcher Jake Valdez and wound up being an inning-ending double play.  

Nico Giarratano drove in a run with an RBI single earlier in the seventh with what would end up being USF's last run.

Giarratano came inches away from his own clutch hit in the bottom of the ninth when he ripped a shot down the third base line with one out and runners on first and second that was knocked down by a diving Kirtley at third, allowing Kirtley to get the force and keep the 5-3 SMC lead intact.

"We had opportunities with bases loaded and just didn't get it done," added Giarratano. "We were a little but unlucky. That ball down the line was a tough play , but we just can't find any luck. If that ball gets through it's a tie game. It's just one of those things where it's not going our way so we'll just keep on moving."

Allen Smoot drove in the Dons' first run with an RBI double in the left center gap in the second, followed later that inning by a first-and-third double steal in which Smoot came into score, putting USF up 2-1 in what would be their only lead of the contest.

Saint Mary's (19-10, 4-3 WCC) got six strong innings out of its starter, right-hander Connor Loeprich (4-0), who allowed two runs on five hits while striking out eight.

Valdez picked up the save with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief.

USF and Saint Mary's return to Benedetti Diamond for game two at 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.