SAN FRANCISCO – Fueled by another solid pitching performance from starter Branden Petrangelo, the San Francisco State baseball team got back into the win column Saturday with a 4-2 triumph over visiting Menlo College at Maloney Field.
Petrangelo (2-0) picked up his second victory of the year in as many starts, allowing just one earned run on seven hits and one walk while striking out 10 batters in seven innings of work. Reliever Matthew Cummins then entered the contest to start the eighth and collected his second save of the young season after yielding just one walk over the final two frames.
The Oaks (5-2) jumped out to a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first when Chris Mazza's single to center field brought home Collin Forgey, who previously reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second on an SF State throwing error.
The Gators (4-1) quickly responded with a threat of their own in the bottom of the inning as Dustin Wold laced a one-out single up the middle, while Kevin Dultz followed with a double to deep right center. Wold promptly scored on a wild pitch by Menlo starter Derek Martinez, while Dultz slid home safely moments later after beating the throw to the plate on Jason Ochart's grounder to short.
SF State manufactured another run in the second when Andrew Suvunnachuen touched the plate on a passed ball, which gave the host school a 3-1 cushion. After falling behind in the count, 1-2, Suvunnachuen coaxed three straight balls to get aboard and then swiped two bases to end up on third.
The Oaks pulled to within one in the top of the fifth as Paul Oakley's hot smash through the left side of the infield drove in Ty Finley, who led off with a single and moved up to second after a walk to Joel Hull.
Shortly thereafter, the Gators tacked on an insurance run in the sixth when Dultz scored on a Suvunnachuen RBI grounder.
SF State had a chance to add to its 4-2 margin in the eighth after loading the bases with two outs, but Oaks reliever Kyer Vega induced a pop fly to get out of the jam. Vega came on to start the seventh in relief of Martinez (1-1), who was saddled with the loss after giving up all four runs on just four hits and two walks in six innings.
However, the duo of Petrangelo and Cummins was too much to overcome as only three Menlo hitters reached base in the last three innings.
Wold and Dultz each went 2-for-4 at the plate, while Suvunnachuen finished with a three steals after another theft of second in the sixth inning.
The two squads return to action on Sunday for the rubber game of the weekend series, beginning at 1 p.m. in Atherton, Calif.
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