Box Score TURLOCK —
Ross Gonsalves' home run tied it, then
Skippy Ferreria won it with a bases loaded single in the ninth as Cal State Stanislaus came from behind to beat San Francisco State, 5-4, to open the four-game series.
A see-saw battled turned in favor of the visiting Gators as SF State took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth. That's when the momentum started to shift for the Warriors (now 22-17 overall and 15-14 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association).
Eli Davis drew an one-out walk ahead of a two-run bomb by Gonsalves to left to tie the score. It was the junior shortstop's first career home run.
Colton Beatty's follow-up single finally sent San Francisco State (14-24, 11-18 CCAA) starter Ryan DeJesus to the dugout. DeJesus had retired 12 straight batters before the Davis walk.
In the bottom of the ninth,
Jordan Long ledoff with a single up the middle and reached second on a balk. Long then moved to third on a bunt by
Craig Beevers before SF State elected to intentionally walk the next two batters --
Michael Turay and
Joe Medeiros -- to load the bases with one out.
Ferreria, who had entered the game as a defensive sub to start the ninth, got his chance to pick up his first RBI of his career. On a 3-1 pitch from Peter Reyes, Ferreria singled through the left side for the winner.
Gonsalves also doubled in the third and scored on a Gator error. Long doubled to start the fourth, advanced to third on a bunt and scored on a Turay flyout for the second Stanislaus run.
Gonsalves finished the day 2-for-3 with a double and a two-run homer. Long also had two of the team's seven hits in the game.
Anthony Gotelli (5-1), the third Warrior pitcher, picked up the win as he pitched the final 1 2/3 innings. Starter
Byron Lemon went 6 1/3 innings, allowed three runs on seven hits before handing the game to
Shay Maltese in the seventh.
Mark Lindsay led SF State with three of the Gators' 10 hits on the day.
The series now shifts to San Francisco State as the teams will play two on Saturday starting at 11 a.m.
