PORTLAND, Ore.- Cy Donald went 4-for-4 with four runs driven in and Chris Genung belted a three-run homer in a six-run, sixth inning as the San Francisco Dons (24-29, 11-14 WCC) dealt the Portland Pilots (10-39, 5-20 WCC) an 11-6 loss Friday afternoon at Pilot Stadium. Portland’s Travis Vetters and Jeffrey Crinklaw each had two hits, while Mike McRae blasted his team-leading sixth homer in the loss.
USF’s Derek Tate went the distance, recording his third complete game of the season to improve to 5-7. Tate fanned six Pilots while allowing six runs on eight hits. Pilot starter Trent Kristjanson threw five innings, allowing 12 hits and seven runs (six earned), falling to 0-6 on the season.
The Dons managed just one run in the first inning despite racking up four hits, thanks to Pilots’ catcher Crinklaw throwing out leadoff man Cy Donald attempting to steal. USF would add another run in the second and two more in the fourth on Donald’s two-out, two-run single for a 4-0 lead.
Portland cut the deficit in half in the fourth, pounding out four straight hits with two outs, including Crinklaw’s 17th double of the season off the left-center fence to score Vetters.
USF responded with six runs in the sixth, chasing Kristjanson with three straight hits to leadoff the frame. Brian Cox came in for relief and surrendered three more hits, including Genung’s sixth homer of the season, before retiring the side.
Vetters hit his league-leading fourth triple in the sixth to score Nik Kosach and Crinklaw followed with an RBI-single making it a 10-4 game. USF would tack on another run in the eighth before McRae went yard to dead center field with a man on for the game’s final runs.
Vetters has now hit in 16 consecutive outings and recorded his 20th multi-hit game with a 2-for-3 performance. Crinklaw finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and a run scored.
All nine Dons’ starters recorded hits as USF out-hit the Pilots 17-8.
The teams will meet again on Sat., May 15 at 1:00 p.m. before concluding the three-game series on Sun., May 16 at 1:00 p.m.
