PALO ALTO, Calif. --
Sam Granoff allowed just one run over 5 2/3 innings but he wound up with the tough luck loss on Tuesday night as the Dons were unable to plate a run in a 4-0 defeat at No. 10 Stanford.
Granoff (2-4) only allowed two Stanford hits over the first five innings before the Cardinal (31-13) finally struck in the bottom of the sixth when Dan Bakst doubled and was driven in two batters later by Jack Klein's single through the right side.
Granoff scattered four hits overall on the night, striking out three and walking three.
"I thought Sam pitched great," head coach
Nino Giarratano said. "I probably left him in one too many hitters after the double and he started to get a little tired. But one run shouldn't beat us. The last two Tuesdays we just haven't been able to put any offense on the board."
A three-run home run by Duke Kinamon in the bottom of the seventh accounted for the other Stanford runs. The three-run shot was setup by a pair of walks issued by USF reliever
Joey Steele and a single off the bat of Nico Hoerner.
Matt Sinatro went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles to lead the Dons (24-26) at the plate.
The Dons used a pair of walks to put a runner in scoring position in the top of the fourth, but back-to-back strikeouts by
Michael Perri and
Aaron Ping ended the inning.
USF threatened again in the eighth, loading the bases on a
Dan James single,
Nico Giarratano fielder's choice and an
Allen Smoot walk before the Cardinal brought in closer Colton Hock to strikeout
Dominic Miroglio.
Perri connected for a one-out double in the top of the ninth but was left stranded when
Ross Puskarich grounded out and
Harrison Bruce struck out to end the game.
"I would have thought with putting up 25 hits the other day that we'd be able to come out and at least get six or eight hits," added Giarratano, "but it was a pretty good ball game today. I thought we put together some good at bats. We were competitive the whole day, we just weren't able to scratch across that one or two runs that we needed."
USF returns to action on Friday when they open a four-game series against San Jose State. The first two games of the series will be played at Benedetti Diamond at 1 p.m., while the series will conclude with a pair of 6 p.m. contests at San Jose Municipal Stadium on Sunday and Monday.
