Box Score ATHERTON, Calif. – The Menlo College Oaks made the most of their opportunities in their 10-4 non-conference win over the visiting SF State Gators in a rainy afternoon in Atherton, Calif.  The Oaks (18-21) scored 10 runs on 13 hits while stranding just five runners with lead-off hitter John Hanley leading the way going 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

The Gators took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.  AJ Almaraz walked with one out and went to single on a single down the left field line by Miguel Flores.  Almaraz scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Mark Lindsay.

Menlo took the lead with a four-run first inning capped by a bases clearing two-out double by Sam Shapiro to give the Oaks a 4-1 lead. 

SF State cut into the Oaks' lead in the top of the second inning as AJ Pianto, Devon King and Danny Souza were each hit by a pitch with one out to load the bases.  Dante Smith then drew a walk to score Pianto and cut the deficit to 4-2.  The Oaks' starting pitcher, Colton Heckerl, then induced the Gator batter to ground into an inning ending double play.

The Oaks then broke the game open with a five-run second inning with Aaron Suarez-Lopez's single being the big hit as the hosts took a 9-2 lead.  They added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth when Coleman Cox singled home Taylor Cohn, who reached base on a lead-off triple. 

The Gators added another run in the top of the fifth as Miguel Flores led off the inning with a single and went to third on a two-base error.  He then scored on a ground out by Pianto.  SF State added another run in the top of the seventh inning as Nick McFarland's RBI single drove in Lindsay with the Gators' fourth run of the game to make the final 10-4 Menlo College.

Five Menlo pitchers stranded 16 Gator runners on base and also had 7 strikeouts while giving up 8 hits.  Chris Cleary (1-0) picked up the win pitching two innings while giving up two hits, striking out one and walking two. 

Besides Hanley's three hits, Cox went 3-for-3 with three RBIS while Shapiro had two hits and drove in four runs. 
Flores led the Gators' hitters going 3-for-4 with a run scored while Jack Jorgensen (2-3) recorded the loss for SF State (13-19). 

The four Gator relievers of Peter Reyes, Trae Lopez, Eric Watts and Ryan DeJesus pitched 7 innings of relief, giving up 8 hits, two runs (one earned) while striking out 8 and walking one.

The two teams will face each other again a week from today at 2:30pm at SF State's Maloney Field in a continuation from a suspended game last month with the scored tied at 1-1 in the top of the second inning. 

The Gators will return to the diamond this weekend with a four-game CCAA series with Cal State Monterey Bay.  The series will begin this Friday, April 13 at 3pm with a single nine-inning game at SF State's Maloney Field.  The two teams will travel to Seaside, Calif., to continue the series with a doubleheader starting at 11am at the Otter Sports Complex on the campus of CSU Monterey Bay.  The series will conclude this Sunday, April 15 at 11am at SF State's Maloney Field with a single nine-inning game. 

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