Wounded but not defeated, the SF State baseball team bounced back April 10, sweeping a doubleheader and splitting the series with the first place Cal Poly Pomona Broncos after losing the first two games April 9.

The Gators (15-25, 9-18 CCAA) proved they are a resilient bunch, winning the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader 9-8, and the nightcap 6-3. The Gators battled hard despite the loss of star second baseman A.J. Biama, who was hit in the elbow by a 90-mph fastball in Saturday’s loss.

The Broncos (21-15, 17-9 CCAA) won the first two games of the series, 5-1 and 3-1, behind good starting pitching and sound defense. However, the Gators, playing without starting pitcher Nick Decampli, who underwent surgery on his pitching arm and will be out the rest of the season, fought hard, stealing two from the Broncos and revitalizing the team’s morale.

"We know we're out of (the playoffs), but we're still going to come out, work hard and play hard." said first baseman Christopher Watters. "The seniors on this team know we're in a tough position, but the coaches aren't going to quit on us and neither are we."

In Saturday’s doubleheader, the Gators wasted many opportunities by not being able to bunt and move runners over in crucial situations. The Gators had runners on first and second with less than one out numerous times in the first two games, but managed only two runs in the first 16 innings.

“We're not doing the little things. If you don’t do the little things, you're not going to win games,” said head coach Matt Markovich. “At this point in the season, all you can do is let them know they're not executing.

“I can’t get mad at them, I know they're playing hard.”

The Gators wasted a solid pitching performance in the second game by Roberto Torres (1-6), who pitched six innings, giving up three runs and striking out four. Torres pitched a great game, consistently hitting 88-95 mph on the radar gun. A few defensive blunders cost him as he dominated throughout the game, mixing in a change-up, curveball and two-seam fastball to go with his blazing four-seam fastball.

“Every time I take that mound, my goal is to pitch a complete game and get the win,” Torres said. “I just try to keep the ball low in the zone and get ground balls. I’m not going to give in to any batter.”

The Gators took the field Sunday afternoon minus two starters and well out of contention for a playoff spot. Still, they opened the game with a bang, scoring four runs on five hits in the first inning to take the early lead, 4-0.

Junior pitcher Chris Cumiford started the game and pitched well, giving up two runs and striking out six in five innings of work. Cumiford left the game in the sixth inning leading 7-1.

“Our starting pitching did well,” said pitching coach Tyler Kincaid. “We just made some mistakes on defense.”

With the score 7-4 in the eight inning, the Gator defense collapsed temporarily, blowing the lead on three errors. Relief pitcher Drew Bernier committed an error on a ground ball by Marc Evans, who advanced to second.

Second baseman Bryan Supnet then booted a grounder, allowing Evans to score. Shortstop Aaron Garcia followed that up with another error, which set up a two out, two-run single by Jake Medrin. The Broncos took the lead 8-7, but the Gators, determined to win, would have the last laugh.

The Gators tied the score in the ninth, led by senior outfielder Carlos Medina, who scored on a fielder’s choice by senior Kris Gibson. Gibson advanced to third on a single by junior Mike Solis, sending junior Ron Markovich to the plate with one out and the winning run on third. With the Gator bench itching to take the field and celebrate the last-inning comeback, Markovich delivered, slicing a ball that was deep enough to right field to allow Gibson to score the game's winning run.

“It felt great,” said Watters, who had two hits in the game. “We battled back after giving up the lead. It feels good.”

The Gators pulled off a similar win in the nightcap, blowing a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning and allowing three runs. Once again, the resilient Gators were content on making another comeback; this time it came off the bat of junior third baseman Andreas Madsen.

With catcher Alex Swartz on first, Madsen rocketed a fastball from pitcher Mike Quintal right down the left field line and over the fence, putting the Gators up for good, 4-3.

Relief pitcher Jon Bierly loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh inning, but managed to get Jarrod Allen to ground into a fielder’s choice, ending the game and giving the Gators a split in the four-game series.

"When you're struggling like we have been, the result isn't so much about winning, it's more about how we played," Supnet said. "At this point, it's a moral victory more than anything."

The Gators will host Cal State Stanislaus on Friday before hitting the road for nine games.