Scoring victories in three of its five bouts with Sonoma State last week, SF State's men's baseball team retained first place in the Northern California Athletic Conference.
The Gators (27-13-1, 16-6) swept the Cossacks (22-9, 14-9) in a doubleheader on Wednesday, 11-4 and 10-2, before their 13-game winning streak ended in a 15-1 loss on Friday, two games shy of the school record (15) set in 1981.
On Friday, Sonoma jumped ahead early and never looked back, scoring four runs in the first inning.
Gators pitcher Jason Isaacs walked the Cossacks' lead-off man Rob Vargas. A sacrifice fly by Greg Hines and a single by Mike Golovich scored Vargas and began the Cossacks rally.
Sonoma's Ray Green hit a two-run single and Kevin Walsh also had an RBI-single in the first inning.
Isaacs, who started for SF State, pitched 3 1/3 innings.
"I did bad," Isaacs said.
The Gators scored their only run of the game in the top of the fourth inning. With back-to-back walks to Ivory Jones and Phil Kernan, Bob Simoneau hit a sacrifice fly to advance the runners.
The Gators scored on an RBI ground-out by Jason Harvey.
The Cossacks answered back in the bottom half of the inning and scored three more runs.
Cossacks' Golovich drove an RBI-double down the third base line and Rene Rascon hit a dinger over the right field fence for his fourth home run of the season. The Cossacks led, 8-1.
The Cossacks added one run in the seventh and six in the bottom of the eighth to finish off the game.
"It was nice to see us hit the ball hard and get a quality start today," Cossacks head coach John Goelz said. "But this was only one game in a long season..."
For the day, the Cossacks tallied 17 hits while Sonoma pitcher Daniel Borsch held the Gators to just two.
"It was a pretty brutal day," Isaacs said. "We weren't focused -- we weren't ready to play. I think we were looking ahead to the weekend, but it was actually a big game for us."
After losing the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday against the Cossacks, 4-1, the Gators retaliated in the nightcap and shut out Sonoma, 5-0.
In the Gators' loss, Martin Cole (0-1) started on the mound and turned in seven complete innings for SF State.
Cole gave up three earned runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked three Cossacks hitters.
The Gators and Cossacks were scoreless until the top of the third when Sonoma jumped ahead, 1-0.
With two outs, Cossacks' Vargas scored on a single to left-center by senior Golovich.
The top of the Gators' batting order responded in the bottom half of the inning and tied the game.
With one out, Gators right fielder Jones smacked a triple to the opposite field over Cossacks left fielder Golovich's head.
Jones' eighth triple of the year broke SF State's single-season record for triples.
Gators' Kernan drove a sacrifice fly to deep center and sent Jones in to score.
With two outs, Gators' Dereck Ornelas hit a triple down the right field line, but the Gators could not convert and ended the inning with Ornelas left on base.
According to Isaacs, Cole pitched "seven strong innings" but "started struggling" in the eighth.
After giving up two earned runs in the top of the eighth, Cole was pulled and Robert Walley came in to face one hitter -- a lefty.
Walley retired his hitter and reliever Joey Diaz came in with bases loaded to try to shut down the Cossacks' offense.
Diaz hung a curve ball that Cossacks hitter Dale Brewer drove for a double down the third base line.
The Gators threatened in the bottom of the eighth and loaded the bases.
With two outs, junior Joey Gandara drove a deep fly ball that was caught just short of the left field fence to end the Gators' inning.
In SF State's 5-0 win over Sonoma in the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday, the Gators' defense held the Cossacks' hitters to two hits.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when the Gators scored five unanswered runs.
With one out, Kernan began the rally with a base hit to left.
Kernan advanced to second on an infield single by Ornelas.
Cossacks pitcher Chad Brewster walked the next Gators' hitter, Harvey.
With bases loaded, Michael Rahmoeller drove a double into deep left-center, which sent Kernan and Ornelas in to score. The Gators led, 2-0.
Gators' Gandara walked and the Gators loaded up the bases again.
With Jorge Macias at the plate for the Gators, Harvey attempted to score on a pass ball, but was tossed out.
Macias hit a routine grounder to Cossacks shortstop Brewer who short-hopped his throw to first baseman Damian Marshall.
The ball got away from Marshall and rolled into right field foul territory. Rahmoeller and Gandara scored and the Gators went up, 4-0.
Gators' J.C. Herrera added to the lead with a single to left. Macias scored and the Gators' lead was secured.
Eric Rafter (1-0) threw 5 1/3 innings for the Gators and gave up two hits, struck out three hitters and walked four.
"Rafter hasn't pitched all year," Isaacs said. "He stepped up and threw five strong innings. This week we had a lot of guys step up into a different role. (They) really did it for us."
Saturday's victory gave Gators head coach Mike Simpson his 396th career win.
In conference standings, the Gators are 2 1/2 games ahead of Sonoma and 3 1/2 in front of UC Davis.
SF State hosts a doubleheader today with Cal State Stanislaus beginning at noon.
"I think we're going to be alright," Isaacs said. "We just need to take it one game at a time."