SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Despite JT Amaral posting his first home run of the season, the University of San Francisco baseball team (13-8) dropped a 11-3 non-conference decision to California (13-5) Tuesday afternoon at Benedetti Diamond.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• After a scoreless opening frame, California jumped ahead in the top of the second on a Max Handron leadoff solo home run, giving the Golden Bears a 1-0 advantage.
• San Francisco responded in the bottom half of the second inning, evening the game at one when Amaral reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Michael Campagna after a fielding error by the first baseman Peyton Schulze.
• Campagna led off the inning with a six-pitch walk, followed by Mattie Thomas recording a base hit to center field to push Campagna into scoring position. In an attempt to turn a double play on an Amaral groundball in the following at-bat, Schulze mishandled the ball at first base, allowing Campagna to round third and score the tying run.
• The Golden Bears regained the lead in the third on a Schulze RBI groundout, scoring Rodney Green Jr., to go ahead 2-1.
• California continued to build on its lead in the following two innings, scoring three more runs to hold a 5-1 advantage after four and a half innings of play.
• San Francisco battled back into the contest when Amaral recorded a two-run home run in the fifth inning, cutting the deficit to 5-3. After Thomas punched a leadoff single through the right side of the infield, Amaral, playing in just his second game of the season, came out swinging and punished a 1-0 fastball over the wall in left field.
• The Golden Bears continued to score throughout the later innings, plating six runs in the following three innings to solidify the 11-3 victory.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Amaral returned to the team after missing the last 20 games due to injury and totaled two hits, including his third career home run, a two-run blast in the fifth inning.
• Thomas also performed well as he went two-for-four at the plate and scored a run.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of today's game, please click here.
• To watch the full postgame interview with head coach Rob DiToma, please click here. 

UP NEXT:
San Francisco continues its homestand when it hosts Minnesota for a three-game series starting at 2 p.m. on Friday, Mar. 22, at Benedetti Diamond.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the USF baseball program, be sure to follow @SFDonsBaseball on Twitter, @USFDonsBaseball on Instagram and @University.of.San.Francisco.Baseball on Facebook.
 
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.
 
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge our department sponsor – San Francisco Toyota - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.