Pitching lets game slip away

Keith B. Orchard
Staff writer

SF State's four-hour baseball game against UC-Davis Friday ended with a come-from-behind victory for the Aggies, when the Gator pitching collapsed in the eighth inning.

The Gators lost the Northern California Athletic Conference opener 13-9 at Maloney Field, when the relief pitching couldn't shut down the opposition.

"How is it that you can score nine runs and still lose the game?" SF State coach Mike Simpson said.

Evidence of trouble surfaced for the Gators when junior starting pitcher Gerald Hagan was warming up in the bullpen before the game and developed a strain below his armpit.

"I felt a twinge," said Hagan, who still started the game and lasted until the fifth inning. Hagan left the game with a comfortable four-run Gator lead.

With two runners on base and one out, Simpson replaced Hagan with senior reliever Rob Walley, who managed to get the next two Aggie batters out.

The following inning, senior Johnny Qura stepped in and set down the side in order. But in the seventh inning, UC-Davis' Brad Sanfilippo started the inning by ripping a double into the center field gap. Sanfilippo haunted Gator pitchers all day long, going 4-4 with two doubles and walk.

Senior reliever Joey Diaz, all-NCAC player last season, entered the game in the eighth inning after Qura walked two batters back-to-back.

"Diaz was sick last week, but he was over it when he pitched against (Cal State) San Bernardino," Simpson said.

While visibly coughing on the mound, Diaz walked the first batter, then allowed three consecutive hits as UC-Davis took a 12-9 lead. The Gators managed only one run after the fifth inning.

"Not one of (the pitchers) pitched well," Simpson said. "You can't walk batters and have errors -- that's the name of the game."

"I like the way we ran our offense," Simpson said. "I was pleased about that part of the game. Our two-out hitting and the two-strike hitting was outstanding."

Through the fourth inning, everything was going well for the Gator offense. Junior slugger Chris Mace turned his back pocket inside-out, possibly to confuse the Aggie pitcher, while standing at the on-deck circle. His next at-bat was a towering home run over the left field wall.

SF State sophomore outfielder Jonathan Cook went 2-4 with a stolen base and a run-scoring sacrifice fly. For the second game in a row, Cook also reached base on a bunt single.

"I've been in a zone and I've become more comfortable with bunting," said Cook, who beat out a bunt when he pushed the ball between the pitcher and the first baseman in the sixth inning. "I wanted to mix it up and let the defense know that they need to play me differently."

Freshman outfielder Bob Verissimo added to the offense by collecting three hits on the day.

"The ball looked like a grapefruit," Verissimo said. "I felt pretty good and remembered to keep my shoulders squared."

Earlier in the week, Verissimo had spent extra time with senior second-baseman Mike Girard, which he said improved his batting stance.

"He helped me with squaring my shoulders with the pitcher in the soft-toss," Verissimo said.

Saturday, the Gators traveled to UC-Davis where they split a double header with the Aggies.

In the first game, Aggie slugger Matt Zumstein singled home Brian Harnetiaux in the bottom of the 12th inning for the 2-1 victory.

SF State's 3-2 victory in the second game came when the Gator sluggers produced all three runs. Cook, Girard and freshman Adam Olow knocked in the only three runs that the Gators would need to win the game.

The Gators' record is 6-7-1, 1-2 in the NCAC.

[ Golden Gater - March 4, 1997 ]