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Diamond Dons Avoid Sweep, Defeat UC Riverside 9-3
March 21, 2010
(Riverside, CA) - San Francisco baseball avoided a three-game sweep by UC Riverside, taking a 9-3 win over the Highlanders (9-6) on Sunday afternoon at Riverside Sports Complex. The Dons (11-10) smashed 14 hits in the contest, seven of which were two-baggers.
For the second game in a row, the Dons scored first, plating one in the top of the first, but fell behind after the Highlanders scored two in the bottom half. To get that run to start the game, junior center fielder Pete Lavin doubled and moved to third on freshman third baseman Jason Mahood's sacrifice bunt. Lavin then scored on senior shortstop Derek Poppert's double to left center. UCR's two runs came off two RBI doubles to make it 2-1.
USF tied it up in the second, 2-2. The frame started much the same as the first, with junior right fielder Connor Bernatz doubling, and moving to third on senior second baseman Robert Abel's sac bunt. Bernatz scored on sophomore catcher Mason Morioka's RBI groundout to second base. The Dons took the 3-2 lead in the fourth. Senior designated hitter Ryan Lipkin singled through the right side, and advanced to second on a wild pitch by UCR's junior right-hander Matt Larkins. After freshman left fielder Jared Denham reached on an error, Bernatz drove in Lipkin on a fielder's choice up the middle.
Riverside tied it up once again, 3-3, in the bottom of the frame off two doubles. But that would be all the Highlanders could get as the Dons added two in the sixth and four in the seventh.
In the sixth, Denham reached on an infield single and moved to third on Bernatz's second double of the contest. Denham scored on Abel's sac fly before Morioka singled to plate Bernatz and give the Dons a 5-3 lead. An inning later, Poppert smacked his second double of the game and scored on sophomore first baseman Nik Balog's double to right center. Denham singled to center, plating Balog. Poppert singled through the left side to put Dons on first and second before Abel brought them in with a two-RBI double to left center.
UCR had a runner as far as second in the ninth, but couldn't capitalize and fell 9-3.
Junior lefty Matt Lujan (3-1) took the win in relief, not allowing a run off two hits, and added four strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Sophomore right-hander Cameron Love started, giving up three earned runs off six hits in 4.0 innings. UCR's senior right-hander Kevin Dickey (0-1) took the loss, allowing two earned runs off two hits in 1.1 innings of relief.
Bernatz led at the plate for the Dons, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and three runs scored. Poppert had two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. Balog had two hits, including a double, scored a run and drove in one. Denham was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. Abel doubled and drove in three, while Lavin also doubled and scored one. Morioka singled and drove in two, Lipkin singled and scored one, and Mahood rounded out the Dons offense with a single.
USF heads back home for a mid-week game at Benedetti Diamond. The Dons host Cal on Tuesday at 2:00 PM.
