April 15, 2005

Final Stats

(San Francisco) - Senior Travis McGaughy drew a bases load walk with one out in the bottom of the tenth inning to force home senior second baseman Royce Fukuroku to score the game winning run in USF's 8-7 victory over Saint Mary's College, in the first game of a three game West Coast Conference series at Benedetti Diamond. For the Dons (24-12. 9-4), the victory snaps a three game losing streak and moves them to only a game and a half back from WCC West Division leader Pepperdine.

USF jumped ahead in the second inning when sophomore outfielder Lucas DeLong hit a towering two-run homerun down the right field line to give the Dons and early 2-0 lead. Junior outfielder Jonnie Knoble delivered an RBI single in the third inning to increase the lead to 3-0. Saint Mary's answered back in the fourth inning off Dons starter senior right-hander Nick Pereira, when Bryan Byrne delivered an RBI single of his own to cut the lead to 3-1.

Freshman infielder Mitchell Bialosky hit a two-out homerun in the bottom of the fourth to bring the lead back up to three runs. In the top of the sixth for the Gaels, Byrne delivered again with a solo homerun to right-center field to cut the Don lead to 4-2.

USF capitalized on two Gael errors in the bottom of the sixth, to go along with three hits of their own, to tally two more runs off Gael starter Kevin Trochez to increase the lead to 6-2. The Gaels scored lone runs in the seventh and eighth innings before Byrne came up with the bases loaded and the Gaels down two in the top of the ninth inning. Byrne hit a bases loaded clearing double of the left field wall off USF junior right-handed reliever Patrick McGuigan to give the Gaels their first lead of the ballgame 7-6.

The lead would prove to be short lived however; after pinch hitter sophomore Blake Nelson drew a one-out walk and Knoble reached safely on an infield single. With one-out and the tying run on second freshman shortstop Tavo Hall delivered a line drive single into left field to score the pinch runner McGaughy and tie the game for the Dons.

In the bottom of the 10th, Fukuroku started the rally for the Dons by singling with one-out. Delong then walked Delong and freshman infielder Eric Walterhouse was hit by a pitch to set the stage for the game winning walk by McGaughy.

For the Gaels, six of the seven runs were accounted for by Byrnes, who finished the day 4-for-4 with two doubles and six RBI. Outfielder Mike Sansoe and designated hitter Adam Thompson each had two hits for the Gael.

USF was led offensively by the homeruns by Delong and Bialosky, and a 2-for-4 day by Fukuroku. Pereira pitched well for the Dons, limiting the Gaels to three earned runs in 7.1 innings. McGuigan picked up the win for the Dons to improve to 3-1 on the season.

Both team will square off again tomorrow at Benedetti Diamond in game two of the three game WCC series, with first pitch slate for 1:00 PM