 |  |
USF Baseball Rallies for 8-5 Victory at Portland
May 15, 2004
(Portland, OR) - USF battled back late from a five-run deficit, scoring two in the sixth and four in the seventh to seize a 8-5 West Coast Conference baseball victory against Portland Saturday afternoon at Pilots Stadium. The Diamond Dons (25-29, 12-14 WCC) got timely hitting late and 4.1 innings of scoreless relief from their bullpen to down the Pilots (10-40, 5-21 WCC).
Senior shortstop Armand Gaerlan finished 2-for-5, extending his hitting streak to 22 games, tying former three-time All-American Taggert Bozied, who accomplished the feat in 2000. Freshman Blake Nelson enjoyed a 3-for-4 day with an RBI.
The contest started out as a duel between a pair of talented freshman right-handers. USF's Ryan Muller and the Pilots' Sean Sargent traded zeroes until the Pilots erupted for five runs in the bottom of the fifth to chase Muller.
USF responded immediately in the sixth, rallying for a pair of runs with two outs in the inning. Sophomore outfielder Stefan Gartrell reached on an error and Nelson followed with a single and both advanced on a passed ball and then scored on a two-run single by senior catcher Nick Cirbo.
Sophomore right-hander Patrick McGuigan (3-3) retired the Pilots in order in the bottom of the sixth.
San Francisco continued their two out magic in the seventh. Gaerlan and senior infielder Chris Genung tallied back-to-back singles, followed by an RBI double from senior outfielder Joe Jacobitz. Gartrell then doubled to deep right center, clearing the bases. Nelson scored Gartrell on an RBI single to right, giving USF a 6-5 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
McGuigan and junior right-hander Nick Pereira did the rest for USF. McGuigan went 2.2 innings, allowing just one base hit in 2.2 innings of work. Pereira collected his first save for the Green and Gold, throwing 1.2 innings of hitless relief and added a pair of strikeouts.
USF added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth. Genung led off with a single, followed by another single from senior pinch-hitter Ryan Hanson. Junior pinch-hitter Royce Fukuroku drove in two on a single to left field to cap the scoring for the Diamond Dons.
Genung finished 2-for-5 for San Francisco. Gartrell, Cirbo and Fukuroku all drove in a pair of runs.
San Francisco returns to action in the series finale against Portland Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM at Pilot Stadium.
