SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco State baseball team split its CCAA doubleheader versus Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday. The Gators dropped game one 2-1 and took an early lead to secure the seven-inning nightcap, 5-2.
SF State moves to to 21-11-1 and to 19-11 (.613) in CCAA play while the Otters move to 27-18 overall and 25-14 (.641) in conference play. The two teams are just percentage points apart in the standings with one game left in the series. SF State has eight games remaining while CSUMB has just five remaining. First-place No. 1 UC San Diego stands at 21-8 (.724) and has 11 games remaining on its slate.
- Collin Gabel had a pair of hits in game two and leads the team with a .385 batting average. He is one of five SF State players batting .300 or higher.
- Harley Lopez's homer in game one was his team-leading eighth of the season. The Gators have gone deep 25 times in 33 games.
- After dropping his last two decisions, Riley Cleary bounced back nicely with the win in game two.
- The Golden Gators are the No. 4 team in the latest NCBWA West Region poll.
GAME ONE
- Jack Higgins got an inning-ending double play in the second inning but ran into trouble in the third. A leadoff walk put Reed Oster on base and Oster later scored on passed ball to put the Otters up 1-0.
- Lopez tied the game with a leadoff homer in the fourth.
- The Otters scored the go-ahead run in the sixth. Kokko Figueiredo led off with a single and scored on Kyle Dean's single to center. Center fielder Jack Harris was charged with a fielding error which allowed Figueriedo to take the extra base.
- Jonah Gonzales led off the eighth with a walk and Jason Hare reached on a fielding error but the next three Gators went down in order. In the ninth, Antone Self doubled to right center but Brady Dorn struck out looking to end the game.
- Higgins (5-2) took the loss despite now allowing an earned run. He scattered six hits and struck out four in seven innings of work.
- Nate Jenkins pitched two scoreless frames and faced one over the minimum thanks to a caught stealing by Hare.
- Greg Steinbeck (5-0) allowed just the one run on two hits. He struck out two over seven innings of work.
- Jeffrey Ahern allowed one hit in two innings to pick up the save.
GAME TWO
- The Gators took a 2-0 lead in the first thanks to Antone Self's RBI fielder's choice and a Collin Gabel single.
- SF State opened the game up in the second. Jackson Kritsch walked and stole second, and later scored on Harris' single up the middle. Lopez walked on four straight pitches, which prompted a coaching visit to the mound. Rogers and Gable delivered back-to-back two-out singles that scored Harris and Lopez.
- The Otters loaded the bases in the third but Cleary got Oster to fly out to end the inning.
- CSUMB plated one more run in the fifth on Nick Sheehan's sacrifice fly.
- Cleary (2-2) worked five innings. He gave up two runs on seven hits. He also struck out three and walked three.
- Caden Childress pitched a perfect sixth and recorded one strikeout.
- Dylan Madole picked up his fourth save with a scoreless seventh. He also had a strikeout.
- Connor Fabing (3-3) lasted just two innings for the Otters and was charged with all five Gators runs on six hits. Austin Wahl allowed five hits and struck out five in four scoreless innings of relief.
The series wraps up on Saturday, April 20 at noon. Saturday is the Gators' Vs. Cancer Day. SF State Baseball has teamed up with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation's Vs. Cancer program to change this and is just over halfway to its goal of $3,000. Visit sfstategators.com/vscancer to contribute to the Gators' fundraising efforts. Be sure to follow San Francisco State baseball on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at @sfstatebaseball.
