The Rundown
Malibu, Calif. - The University of San Francisco Dons (25-21, 14-8 WCC) earned a vital win in game one of their series over West Coast Conference foe, Pepperdine (22-18, 12-7 WCC), 6-4.
 
USF would get on the board first in the second inning, loading the bases with two outs. Jonathan Allen would come up after Villaroman, who reached on a hit by pitch, and hit a ground ball through the right side of the infield, into right field. Scoring on the play was Jack Winkler and Aaron Ping. Riley Helland would work a walk, bringing up Michael Perri who would lace a two RBI single into left field, bringing Villaroman and Allen around to score to make it 4-0, USF.
 
Pepperdine would come back in the bottom half of the second and get a run back through a lead-off, solo home run.  
 
After two scoreless innings, the Dons would add another run in the fifth inning. With two-outs and runners on second and third, Aaron Ping would hit a sharp ground ball to third base, which would bring Perri in from third. On the play, Ross Puskarich would get caught rounding third base too far, and get tagged out by the catcher following a quick rundown.
 
The Waves would cut into the Dons lead again in the sixth inning, scoring two to make it 5-3, USF. A one-out triple from Cory Wills would bring in the runner from first base. The next batter, Quincy McAfee, would bring in the second run of the inning with a fly ball to center field that would be deep enough to bring in Wills from third.
 
USF would answer back in the next half inning, adding a run to their lead. A one-out walk from Puskarich and Bate getting hit by pitch for the second time this game would put runners in scoring position for Winkler. The freshman would hit a line drive into left field, his second hit of the afternoon, to bring Puskarich home and make it 6-3, USF.
 
Thomas Ponticelli, who went 7 2/3 innings, would be replaced by Brendan Jenkins in the eighth inning after Pepperdine scored their fourth run of the game. That run would come in following a one-out walk and double into right field. The next batter would hit a ground ball to first base, which Puskarich would take the out at first. Jenkins would come in and get the final out of the inning with a swinging strike out.
 
Jenkins would finish off the game with a shutout inning to earn his eighth save of the year, to get the Dons a 6-4 win.
 
The Dons will look to earn a series win in game two against Pepperdine with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.

COACHES CORNER
USF head coach Nino Giarratano
On the team performance:
"Ponticelli pitched his heart out today. We got big hits from Ping, Perri, Puskarich, Allen and all the guys we needed hits from, we got them. We got five RBIs with two outs today. Defensively, we played well, which I was the most excited about today. I was also excited that Jenkins came in and did his job to close out the game. 6-4 wins are not easy, and I was proud of the way the kids played today. We got to get a win, put some runs on the board and play well tomorrow."
 
On Jack Winkler:
"You know, he's played every game. As a freshman, he's learning how to stick in there, and he's a great competitor. I'm really happy for him. I'm happy he's getting hits, getting his timing down and making good adjustments."
 
On Michael Perri and Aaron Ping:
"He was fabulous today, both offensively and defensively along with Aaron Ping."

GAME STATS

• Allen, Perri, Winker and Ping combined for eight of the Dons ten hits on the day.
• Both Allen and Perri are tied for the team lead in hits on 65 for the year.
• Perri's two RBIs add to his team lead in that category with 37.   
• Perri's two-for-five game moves his team leading batting average to .349.
• With his two-for-four afternoon, Winkler's batting average now moves to .259 on the year.
• With his save today, Jenkins now has eight this year, which is third in the conference.