OAKLAND–
Joe Chedid's hit a three-run blast in the Gator half of the fourth inning, that's all the SF State pitching staff needed as the Gators rolled to a 5-1 season opening victory.
Ryan Bohnet,
Ulices Moreno and
Brent Montgomery combined to give up 8 hits, one run while striking out 8 and walking three in the Gator victory.
"
Joe Chedid's three-run home run was a turning point in the game for our offense, he did a great job of hitting the 0-2 pitch to give us the lead," said SF State first-year head coach
Tony Schifano. "The turning point for the whole game for us was in the bottom of the firth when
Carter Gambrell picked up a runner at first base with just one out and runners on first and second."
Chedid's first collegiate home run gave the visitors a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning which scored
Myles Franklin and
Ryan Burke. Franklin had a lead-off walk and Burke reached on a single to put runners on first and second with no outs. Chedid then hit the third pitch he saw over the fence to give the Gators the 3-0 lead.
Later on in the inning,
Nick Jackson's run scoring ground out scored
Carter Gambrell, who reached on a one-out single and advanced to third on an
Andrew Breen double, increased the Gator lead to 4-0.
The Hawks cut into the visitors lead, 4-1, in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ryan Paniagua and Matthew Smith had lead-off back-to-back singles for Holy Names. Paniagua then stole third. Sean Carrington walked to load the bases for Caleb Parker, who drove in Paniagua with a sacrifice fly to right field for the Hawks' first run of the game. That is when Gambrell picked off a Hawk at first base as the Gators halted the hosts' rally. Moreno induced the next batter to pop out to third to end the inning and perserve the 4-1 Gator lead.
SF State added an insurance run in the seventh inning. Jackson had a lead-off single, advanced to second on a passed ball. He then went to third on a single to right field by
Connor Fraser. The junior centerfielder scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by
Chris Nicholson to give the Gators a 5-1 lead.
Starting pitcher
Ryan Bohnet pitched four scoreless innings for SF State, giving up just four hits, walking one and striking out four Hawks.
Ulices Moreno (1-0) pitched three innings of three-hit ball, giving up one run, striking out two and walking one.
Brent Montgomery came into pitch in the eight and pitched two scoreless innings of relief, giving up one hit, walking one and striking out two.
"Our three pitchers did a solid job of throwing strikes and letting the fielders play defense," added Schifano.
The Gators had 10 hits on the day with three players each with two hits apiece in Chedid,
Nick Jackson,
Andrew Breen and
Ryan Burke.
The Hawks (0-3) had 8 hits with Paniagua leading the way going 3-for-4 with a run scored. Jared Carr (0-1) picked up the loss in the start for the hosts, pitching 3.2 innings, giving up 6 hits, four runs, striking out two and walking one.
The two teams will conclude their three-game non-conference series tomorrow morning at 11am with a doubleheader at SF State's Maloney Field.
Box Score in PDFBox Score in HTML-----
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.
