May 17, 2003

(San Francisco) - USF seniors put an exclamation point on the 2003 home finale at Benedetti Diamond posting a 10-3 victory against Sacramento State in non-conference action Saturday. The Diamond Dons (25-30) bounce back after suffering a shutout in Sacramento against the Hornets (32-34).

It was a day dominated by seniors as six of seven Diamond Don seniors were in the lineup for head coach Nino Giarratano. The seventh senior, Bryan Williams, tossed a complete game yesterday. Each senior added another chapter in the memory books. Competing in his sixth and final season on the Hilltop, senior outfielder Jason Howard launched a pair of homeruns to deep right field on a four RBI day.

Right-hander Kevin Annis (7-3) pitched 5.0 scoreless innings in a gutty performance, allowing just one hit while striking out five. With his seventh victory of the season, Annis secured a share of seventh place among single-season wins leaders and won his fourth consecutive start.

Designated hitter Ryan Sittauer erupted for a 4-for-5, RBI double effort in his home curtain call, while leadoff hitter Nick Tarbat went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Catcher Anthony Jimenez went 1-for-2 with an RBI and gunned down a runner trying to steal second, while Alfonso Valdes knocked in a run on a sacrifice fly.

San Francisco's bats erupted for 17 hits a day after being limited to four and seniors recorded nine of them and knocked in eight. USF got on the board in the second and added a pair in the third on Howard's first long ball, a laser beam to right. The Dons tacked on five more in the fifth, chasing Hornet right-handed starter Marshall Plouffe (6-3), who allowed five runs off eight hits in four-plus innings. The Dons led 8-0 before Sacramento State got on the board in the top of the seventh and added single runs in the eighth and ninth.

Howard's second two-run shot of the game to deep right-center in the eighth finished the scoring for the Diamond Dons. The two homeruns give Howard 21 career long balls to rank sixth all-time and is only the sixth player in program history to reach 20 bombs.

Junior infielders Armand Gaerlan and Joe Jacobitz each finished with three base hits. Freshman infielder Andrew Smith went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Dons. Junior infielder John Acha went 3-for-4, while junior outfielder Jesse Schmidt went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

USF travels to Sacramento for the final game of the series and the 2003 season. The Diamond Dons have the opportunity to complete their fourth series victory in a row with a win against the Hornets tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM Sunday at Hornet Field.