SAN FRANCISCO-- The SF State Gators won their fourth game in a row as they defeated the visiting Sonoma State Seawolves 6-1 this afternoon in a rare non-conference game between the two teams at SF State's Maloney Field. The Gators once again used the combination of stellar pitching and defense to key their victory.
"We received a tremendous effort from (Dillon) Houser and the middle relief was solid" said SF State head coach
Tony Schifano. "Especially freshman
Nathan Pisciotta." "I was extremely thrilled with our defense this afternoon."
Ryan O'Malley put the Seawolves on the board first with a one-out double to center field that drove in Daniel Caresio in the top of the first inning. Caresio reached on a lead-off walk to start the game for the visitors and scored on O'Malley's 8
th double of the season.
Dillon Houser induced the final two batters to ground out to end the inning with Sonoma State leading 1-0.
The score remained 1-0 Sonoma State (3-9) until the Gator fourth.
Myles Franklin walked and then stole his first base of the season.
Connor Fraser walked which Franklin advanced to third on the wild pitch.
Joe Chedid hit the second pitch he saw to left field for a sacrifice fly which brought in Franklin with the tying run.
SF State (6-4) took the lead in its half of the fifth inning.
Chad Thurston walked, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Bryce Brooks which the junior transfer reached first on an error by the Seawolves. Franklin then was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Fraser, who walked to drive in Thurston with the go-ahead run.
The Gators increased their lead to 4-1 with a two-run sixth inning.
Jake Faulkner, who finished 2-for-2 with a run scored and a RBI, had a lead-off single. He went to second on a single by
Andrew Breen. Both runners advanced a base when
Alex Kotheimer reached on a sacrifice bunt fielder's choice. With two outs, Faulkner and Breen scored on another error by Sonoma State with Franklin reaching first base on to give the Gators a 4-1 lead.
They added an insurance run in the seventh on a Faulkner one-out single which brought in
Ryan Burke who reached on a pinch-hit lead-off double. SF State added its final run in the eighth inning when Brooks scored on a single by Fraser.
Houser recorded the no-decision the start for the Gators, pitching three innings of one-hit ball, giving up one run, walking one and striking out three. Pisciotta (1-0) picked up the win in relief, pitching three scoreless innings while striking out four.
Shane Martin,
Brent Montgomery and
Brett Elgin pitched thein final three scoreless innings for the Gators, giving up two hits, walking one and striking out three. Faulker had two of the Gators' 7 hits with Fraser driving in two of their 6 runs in leading SF State's offensive attack.
Holden King (0-1) recorded the loss in relief for Sonoma State (3-9), pitching 0.1 innings, giving up one run, striking out one and walking two. O'Malley had two of the Seawolves' three hits on the day.
The Gators will open up CCAA play this weekend with a three-game series against No. 25 Cal Poly Pomona at SF State's Maloney Field. The series will begin this Saturday, February 27 with an 11am starting doubleheader. The two teams will conclude the series this Sunday, February 28 with a single game also starting at 11am.
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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.
