NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — The University of San Francisco baseball team's bats got going Saturday on day two of the 2020 season, but they still struggled with runners on base while host CSUN again capitalized on mistakes to clinch a series victory with a 7-3 win at Matador Field.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Nick Yovetich crushed the Dons' (0-2) first home run of the new year in the fifth inning, part of a two-hit day for the junior outfielder. His homer made it 2-1 at the time, but CSUN (2-0) jumped right back on the scoreboard in its half of the fifth. Three free passes, an error and a wild pitch gave the Matadors four runs (two earned) in the inning and boosted their lead back up to 6-1.
   
• That would be the decisive frame, as the Dons would add single runs in the sixth and seventh innings on an RBI single by Jacob Munoz and a bases-loaded walk from Jack Winkler, respectively, but could not get any closer than those four runs.
   
• The Dons gave themselves plenty of opportunities with runners on base, but for the second straight day could not capitalize on them. San Francisco went 2 for 15 with runners on base, just 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position, a day after going 0 for 11 and 0 for 7 in those same situations. It stranded eight runners for the second straight day, though it also reduced its strikeout total by more than half, only going down seven times Saturday after K'ing 15 times on Friday.
   
• Two more Dons made their USF debuts Saturday. Redshirt freshman Harris Williams pinch-hit in the seventh and got his first collegiate base hit, later also scoring his first career run. Freshman Eric Reyzelman threw 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, even recording a pick-off.

COACH GIARRATANO QUOTES

• "Good effort by the Dons today. We need to pitch better at times and defend better."
   
• "We are having breakdowns with walks, hit-by-pitches, two-out RBIs and two-out errors. We will need to improve a great deal in those areas."

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 1: Yovetich's first home run of the season was the Dons' first home run as a team in 2020, and also marked his first long ball since his freshman season of 2018, when he hit two.
• 4: Villaroman has hits in each of the season's first two games, extending his active hitting streak to four games after he also hit safely in the final two games of 2019 – also against CSUN.
• 7: USF issued seven free passes (five walks, two hit-by-pitches) on Saturday, with four of them coming across to score (only three as earned runs).

COMING UP

• Redshirt senior Landen Bourassa makes his return to the mound Sunday after a year off due to injury. He will start for the Dons in the series finale at 1 p.m. Fans can find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.