RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The San Francisco State wrestling team gave Division I Cal State Fullerton all it could handle on Friday, dropping a hard-fought 20-17 decision in the opening match of a dual-meet doubleheader at Van Dyne Gym on the campus of Cal Baptist University in Riverside, Calif.  The Gators also took on the host Lancers in the nightcap, ultimately coming up on the wrong side of a 31-10 score vs. the nation's second-ranked team in the latest NAIA poll.

Against the Titans, SF State (0-3) led just once during the contest, pulling ahead 5-4 after sophomore Naveed Bagheri (Los Gatos, Calif., Los Gatos HS, West Valley College)notched a convincing 17-0 victory by technical fall in the 133-pound weight class. Shortly thereafter, CSF reclaimed the lead, emerging triumphant at 141 and 149 to build a seemingly safe 13-5 advantage.  The Gators, would not go quietly, however, as freshman Isaiah Jimenez (Chualar, Calif., Palma HS) and junior Zach Sesar (Vacaville, Calif., Vacaville HS) each came away with one-point decisions at 157 and 165, respectively, to narrow the gap to 13-11.   Both Jimenez and Sesar benefited from riding time points to clinch the wins.  After dropping the bout at 174, SF State knotted the score at 17-17 with a pair of victories at 184 and 197.  Freshman Zach Jimenez (Chualar, Calif., Palma HS) registered a 6-0 decision over Dylan Klink, while junior Vince Bordi downed Mark Savalle, 8-4. That set the stage for the winner-take-all heavyweight bout as senior Steve Franklin (Middletown, Calif., Middletown HS, Santa Rosa JC) came up short against Kurt Klimek, 5-3.

The Gators managed just two victories against Cal Baptist as Bagheri posted his second win of the day with a 14-4 major decision over Johnny Rojas.  Then in the final encounter of the evening, Franklin recorded his team-leading sixth pin of the year over the Lancers' Alex Evers at the 6:36 mark of the third period.

SF State will take the next two-plus weeks off to break for final exams and the holidays before returning to action, Dec. 29-30, at the prestigious Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill.