SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco State baseball team cruised to an 18-4 victory in the series finale versus Simpson for the series sweep.
- SF State (4-0) exploded for 22 hits.
- Justin Cooney-Sylk went 3-for-3 with threes run and a walk in his final at-bat.
- Jason Hare went 3-for-3 with three RBI and a pair of walks.
- Richie Rios, Kyler Crone, and Jarrett Brannen all had three-hit days as well.
- Leadoff batter Jonah Gonzales went 2-for-3 with seven RBI, two runs, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch.
- Gators pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts and issued just one walk.
- In the series, SF State starting pitchers allowed just four runs and struck out 26 batters in a combined 20 and two thirds innings.
- The Red Hawks scored first, on a first-inning RBI groundout.
- The Gators answered and took the lead in the second. With the bases loaded, Brannen sent a single to left field. Jonah Gonzales and Jason Hare both picked up an easy RBI with bases-loaded walks. Trevor Rogers made it 4-1 with an RBI groundout to first.
- With Rios and Crone aboard in the third, Gonzales homered to make it a 7-1 lead.
- The Gators loaded the bases again in the fourth and Gonzales was hit by a pitch to bring in another run. Crone scored on a wild pitch, then Jason Hare singled home two more. Rogers capped off the five-run rally with an RBI double to right field.
- Gonzales sent an RBI triple to left center in the fifth that scored Rios and Justin Cooney-Sylk.
- In the sixth, Kayleb Beccerra singled home a run and Rios drove a run home with a sac fly to right center. Krone capped off the inning with a two-run homer, the first of his career.
- The Red Hawks got a pair of runs back in the eighth thanks to a wild pitch and an error. Jonathan Liu's RBI single in the ninth gave Simpson its fourth run of the day.
- Riley Cleary (1-0) tossed 62 pitches and allowed one run on four hits over five innings for the win. He also struck out seven and did not issue a walk.
- Brody Eglite posted a perfect sixth inning and struck out one.
- Austin Moberg allowed a hit and issued a walk in the seventh but got out of the jam for a scoreless frame.
- Garrett Jensen was charged with two runs in a third of an inning. Ryan Nabas had a pair of strikeouts in two thirds of an inning. Hudson Hartley gave up a run in an inning of work.
The Gators will resume their season opener versus Sonoma State on Tuesday, February 11. The two teams will resume in the top of the tenth, currently tied 4-4, with Sonoma State as the home team. The second game of that non-conference split series will follow with SF State as the home team. The games will be streamed on the CCAA Network and live stats will also be available at sfstategators.com. Be sure to follow San Francisco State Baseball on Twitter and Instagram at @sfstatebaseball.
Next week is the CCAA Food Drive. Fans are asked to support the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's initiative by bringing non-perishable food items to Tuesday's baseball game vs. Sonoma State. Items will be donated to the SF-Marin Food Bank.