THE RUNDOWN
SAN FRANCISCO – The University of San Francisco's baseball team battled tough in the series opener against Xavier but fell 14-6 to the Musketeers.
The Musketeers got the scoring started in the top half of the third inning. After getting the first batter out,
Alex Pham gave up a double and single to allow runners in scoring position with one out. The next batter singled to right field, allowing the runner at third to score. Pham shut the door on Xavier for the rest of the inning, getting a ground out and a fly out to end the inning.
The Dons took the lead in the bottom half of the third when
Matt Campos kept the inning going for USF with a two-out single. The next batter up,
Jonathan Allen, launched a two-run homerun into left center field, making it 2-1 USF heading into the fourth.
The scoring continued for both teams in the fourth inning with Xavier adding five runs, making it 6-2 heading into the bottom half of the inning. It was another two-out rally from the Dons that got them back into the ballgame. A single from
Riley Helland and a walk from R.J. Cordeiro kept the inning alive. Freshman
Thomas McCarthy drove them home in the next at bat, hitting a three-run homer to bring the Dons within one run of the Musketeers, 6-5. This was the freshman's first collegiate home run.
The sixth inning was the game-winner for the Musketeers, as they scored seven runs in that inning. USF conceded three walks and made a two-out error to extend the inning, which allowed Xavier to get two more runners across the plate before USF ended the inning. The score at the end of six innings was 13-5.
Freshman
Bo Jelinek made his collegiate debut, coming on in the eighth inning, striking out two in his two innings of work. Both teams added a run late on in the game to make the final score 14-6.
COACHES QUOTES
Head coach Nino Giarratano
GAME STATS
- McCarthy's four RBIs was not only his season high but led the team as well on the day. This added to an impressive day for the freshman, which was highlighted by his first collegiate home run.
- Jonathan Allen's one hit on the day was a big one in a two-run home run to the opposite field, his first of the year.
- There were two debuts for USF in Bo Jelinek and Jordan Barchus. Jelinek threw two innings, allowing one run to score while striking out two.
- Moving up in the order saw Jack Winkler go two-for-four with a double and a single.
NEXT UP
The Dons and Xavier play again in
game two of the series, first pitch is slated for 2 p.m.
