SAN FRANCISCO – The visiting Sonoma State Seawolves used a four-run fourth inning to key their 11-6 series opener victory over the SF State Gators this afternoon at The Swamp at Maloney Field. The Seawolves' two, three and four hitters were a combined 7-for-13 with four runs batted in while scoring six times.
Nick Jackson and
Mark Lindsay each had two hits to lead the Gator hitting attack.
Jackson led off the bottom of the first inning for the Gators with a single up the middle. He went to second on a ground out by
Matt Vera and scored on a single to center field by Lindsay to give SF State the early 1-0 lead.
Peter Reyes (3-6) allowed just one base runner in the first three innings and that was a Spencer Neve lead-off single in the third. But the Seawolves' bats came alive in the top of the fourth; Daniel Caresio had a lead-off walk and went to third on a Jourdan Weiks' double. Still with no outs and runners on second and third, Alex Crosby hit the fourth pitch he saw for a two-run single to give the Seawolves the 2-1 lead. Sonoma State added two more runs later on in the inning to take a 4-1 lead.
The Seawolves scored two more times in the fifth to increase their lead to 6-1. Weiks had a two-out single and scored on a triple by Crosby. Devin Alexander brought in Crosby with a single to left field to give Sonoma State a 6-1 lead.
SF State (16-24, 15-18 CCAA) cut the Seawolf lead to 6-4 with a three-run fifth inning.
Jacob Lopez reached first on an error by Sonoma State in the fifth. He went to second on a two-out single by
Joseph Chedid.
Andrew Breen walked to load the bases with two outs. Jackson walked in Lopez with the inning's first run.
Matt Vera then drove home Chedid to cut the deficit to 6-3. Lindsay walked to bring in Breen to cut the Seawolf lead to 6-4. That was Lindsay's second run batted in of the day and his 84
th of his career. He is now 10
th on the Gators' career list in runs batted in. The walk was his 64
th, which ties him for 8
th with Rich Daly. Tyler Sanders came in to relief and induced an inning ending ground out.
Sonoma State (21-21, 15-18 CCAA) came right back with two runs of its own in the sixth inning to increase its lead to 8-4. The Gators'
Garrett Heisinger had a lead-off double, his 11
th of the season, in SF State's half of the sixth. Heisinger scored on a ground out by
Bryce Cherry to cut into the Seawolf lead, 8-5.
The Seawolves scored two more insurance runs in the seventh and one more in the ninth to increase their lead to 11-5.
Cherry had a lead-off double in the Gator ninth. That was his 11
th double of the season, which ties him with Heisinger for the team lead. He went to second on a ground out by
Fernando Escobar. Cherry scored on a one-out single to left field by pinch-hitter
Dalton Pizzuti to cut the deficit to 11-6. Sanders retired the next two Gator batters to preserve the 11-6 Seawolf win.
Reyes picked up the loss in the start for SF State, who is now in a tie for sixth place with Sonoma State in the CCAA. Reyes pitched five innings, giving up 7 hits, six runs, while striking out four and walking two.
Ryan Romero,
Shane Martin and
Matthew Hernandez combined to pitch the final three innings for the Gators.
Jackson and Lindsay each had two hits to lead the Gators' offensive attack. With hits two hits, Lindsay now has 206 in his career. He is five away from tying Phil Kernan's 211 hits that he sent during the 1992-95 seasons. The senior catcher also drove in two runs this afternoon to give him 84 for his career.
Haydon Turpin recorded the no-decision in the start for Sonoma State while Sanders improved to 2-2. Sanders pitched 4.1 innings of relief, giving up four hits and two runs while striking out three and walking one. The Seawolves pounded out 16 hits on the day led by Spencer Neve's four hits. Neve also drove in three runs as did Crosby.
Going into the Chico State-Cal State East Bay game this evening, SF State and Sonoma State are two games out of fifth place (Cal State Dominguez Hills) and 4.5 games out of fourth place (Cal State L.A.) with seven games left in the regular season. The top four teams at the end of the regular season on May 3 will receive a bid to the CCAA Baseball Championships, May 7-10 in Stockton, Calif.
The two teams will return to the diamond tomorrow morning in Rohnert Park, Calif., for a doubleheader starting at 11am at Seawolf Diamond. The series will conclude this Sunday, April 26 with a noon starting single nine-inning game at The Swamp at Maloney Field at SF State.
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Gator Athletics has a proud tradition of competitive success within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The department offers 12 intercollegiate sports programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Women's Track & Field, Women's Volleyball and Men's Wrestling.
Gator Athletics places great emphasis on academic performance as well as athletic achievement. The program offers student athletes the opportunity to reach their educational goals, as well pursue meaningful athletic accomplishments. For more information, visit SF State Athletics' website, Twitter and Facebook pages.
