Box Score San Francisco, CA—San Francisco pitcher Anthony Shew allowed just four hits through eight innings while striking out 10 Highlanders as the UC Riverside Baseball Team dropped a 4-0 decision to the Dons Friday afternoon.
Shew entered the game with an 0-2 record and an ERA of 4.15, but he kept UC Riverside (6-8) at bay, giving up singles in the first, second, seventh and eighth innings. He retired 12 straight batters in the second through the sixth, and didn't allow a baserunner into scoring position until the eighth.
Highlanders starter Angel Landazuri (1-2) nearly matched him frame for frame, giving up seven hits in his seven innings of work, but three of those base knocks came in the first as the Dons (2-11) scored the first run of the game.
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth. Connor Hofmann laced a one-out double to right, and Nico Giarratano reached on an error by UC Riverside second baseman Joe Chavez. With runners at the corners, Derek Atkinson lifted a fly ball to right, scoring Hofmann on the sacrifice fly.
Landazuri retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth, and kept the Dons off the board in the seventh despite allowing Manny Ramirez to reach third with one out.
Jared Morton took over for Landazuri in the bottom of the eighth, and he struck out Atkinson for the first out of the inning, but Brendan Hendriks followed with a double off of an 0-1 offering. After Dominic Miroglio walked on four straight pitches, Ross Puskarich singled to left loading the bases. Michael Eaton's single scored Miroglio and Hendricks to give San Francisco a four-run cushion.
The Highlanders put together their best scoring threat of the day in the top of the ninth off of Dons relief pitcher Matt Narahara. Vince Fernandez greeted him with a double to center and moved to third on an Alex Rubanowitz ground out. Dante Chupek walked to put runners on the corners, but pinch hitter Shuyo Chang struck out looking, and Chavez flied out to center.
UC Riverside and San Francisco play game two of their three-game series on Saturday beginning at 2 pm PT.
