San Francisco edges Hawaii to even series

MORAGA, Calif. >> San Francisco’s Ryan Matranga stepped out of the batter’s box and looked into the Dons dugout. It was late Saturday afternoon at Louis Guisto Field on the campus of St. Mary’s College. USF had the bases loaded with one out down by one run against Hawaii.

“I was just looking in at the dugout, seeing how much fun the guys were having and how much we wanted to win,” Matranga said.

Matranga then delivered a two-run single to left field to lift the Dons to a 5-4 win and, more important for them, their first win of the season.

“To finally get that monkey off our back is huge for us,” Matranga said.

It was a stunning comeback that won the game for San Francisco (1-7). Rainbow Warriors starter Kyle Von Ruden, who grew up in nearby Sacramento, Calif., was dominant all afternoon. Through eight innings, he had held the Dons to two unearned runs on five hits. More impressive, he had made just 87 pitches and could taste the complete game. After retiring pinch hitter Harrison Bruce to start the ninth, he gave up a single to pinch hitter Riley Helland. Then, Dan James lined a single to left that seemed to go through the glove of diving third baseman Jonathan Weeks. Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso came out to pull his starter, who had never gone more than six innings in a college start.

Casey Ryan came on and battled Beau Bozzett through an eight-pitch at-bat. Bozzett then hit a weak grounder that charging shortstop Jacob Sheldon-Collins fielded and then quickly fired to first. Bozzett was safe on a banger and the bases were loaded.

Ryan then walked pinch hitter Brady Bate on four pitches. Trapasso came out again and brought in left-hander Lawrence Chew. Matranga battled for eight pitches, then lined the ninth into left for the game-winner.

Hawaii (3-5) had plenty of chances to blow open the game — for the second consecutive game the Rainbow Warriors had a man on in every inning. But after scoring two in the third for a 4-2 lead, they never scored again. Hawaii had Alex Fitchett on second with one out in the third but got no more. In the fourth, the Rainbow Warriors loaded the bases, but Nico Giarratano’s beautiful up-the-ladder catch of Fitchett’s line drive saved at least two runs. A leadoff hit-by-pitch in the fifth was erased on a double play. Matt LoCoco was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a shallow fly ball in the ninth.

“We’ve got to finish games,” Trapasso said. “We’ve got to play all nine innings. We let them hang around too long and then we didn’t finish the job.”

What made it especially painful was that Von Ruden had pitched like a No. 1 starter, going 81⁄3 innings and being charged with just two earned runs on seven hits and no walks.

“I felt pretty good,” Von Ruden said. “Warming up in the bullpen was a little steeper, so the ball was up at the beginning of the game. Once I got it down in the zone, it felt really good. Just using the running fastball and they were getting themselves out.”

Von Ruden made seven pitches to Giarratano during a strikeout in the fifth — otherwise, the most he made during an at-bat was five.

“He was great,” Trapasso said. “And that’s who you feel bad for because he battled. The guys coming out of the bullpen, you’ve got to throw strikes. I’ll take the nubbers, we’ll take the base hits, but you can’t have the walk.”

Hawaii got two runs in the first when it started the game with back-to-back walks from Chase Gardner. Eric Ramirez then singled in a run and a second scored on a sacrifice fly. USF tied it up in the second when Sheldon-Collins booted a ground ball to start the inning. Matranga executed a perfect hit-and-run single to the vacated hole at short to make it first and third. A sweet safety squeeze bunt by Matt Sinatro scored one run. A single by Blake Valley scored the second to tie it up.

Back-to-back singles by Sheldon-Collins and Ramirez leading off the third were followed by Fitchett’s double for one run. A groundout scored another, but that was the end of the Rainbow Warriors offense on Saturday.

The three-game series concludes on Sunday at 11 a.m. Hawaii time. The games are being played at St. Mary’s because the renovation of USF’s home field is not complete.

SAN FRANCISCO 5, HAWAII 4

E—Sheldon-Collins, James. LOB—Hawaii 8, San Fransisco 3. 2B—Fitchett, Rios. HBP—Baldwin. SH—Sheldon-Collins, Weeks, Sinatro. SF—Baldwin. CS—Baldwin.

One out when winning run scored.

Ryan faced 2 batters in the 9th.

Chew faced 1 batter in the 9th.

WP—Meyer. PB—Matranga. HBP—by Larson (Baldwin). Umpires—(Plate): Greg Charles. (First): Sid Aguilar. (Third): Kendall Snyder. T—2:49. A—275.