SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.- The San Francisco Dons racked up a season-high 19 hits and senior left-hander Derek Tate (2-2) tossed eight solid innings as USF defeated the Portland Pilots 9-4 on Saturday afternoon at Benedetti Diamond. The Dons (11-12, WCC 2-0) hit three home runs in the contest as the loss drops Portland's record to 3-15 overall, 0-2 in WCC play.

Tate set a career-high with nine strikeouts on the afternoon, allowing four runs, three earned while surrendering just six hits. Freshman Ryan Muller pitched a scoreless ninth for the Dons. Sophomore Stephen Ball (0-4) suffered the loss for Portland, giving up five runs on nine hits in four innings. Freshmen Sean Sargent ate up the last four innings, scattering 10 hits and four runs.

Portland was able to take a 4-3 edge in the third inning as Billy Krause led off with a single and two batters later Nik Kosach drove him in with another base knock. Vetters then hit a two-run double and eventually scored on Mike McRae’s sacrifice fly, but the Pilots would collect only three hits over the next six innings as the Dons scored the last six runs of the game.

USF right fielder Scott Cousins was perfect at the plate for the second straight day, going 4-for-4. With USF down 4-3 in the fourth inning, he launched his first career homer over the right field wall to give the Dons a 5-4 lead. Cousins drove in four runs on the day, and scored twice. Through the first two games of the series, Cousins is 7-for-7, with five RBI and four runs scored.

Chris Genung also homered for the Dons, his third of the season, a solo shot in the second inning and finished 3-for-5 on the day. Senior Joe Jacobitz added his second long ball of the season in the fifth inning, going 2-for-4 with two RBI's. Center fielder Craig Click added three hits for USF.

The Pilots were led offensively by sophomore third baseman Travis Vetters, who collected his seventh multi-hit game of the season. Vetters went 2-for-4 on the day, with a double, triple, and two runs batted in. Second baseman Gustaf Little extended his hitting streak to six games with a single in the fifth inning.

The game time for Sunday's series finale at Benedetti Diamond has been changed. Originally scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start, the game has been rescheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. Junior TJ Franco gets the start for the Dons and will face Portland sophomore Trent Kristjanson.