The SF State baseball team lost the second game of a doubleheader against Sonoma State 6-3 on Saturday. And that was the good news. After losing 22-0 in the first game against the Seawolves, it couldn’t get any worse for the Gators.

In the first game, the Seawolves (5-0) scored early and often. Sonoma State scored in every inning except
the fifth highlighted by a 10-run eighth. SF State has been outscored 44-18 to start the season.

Seven different pitchers for the Gators (1-4) combined to give up 19 hits. Zach Beal (0-2) started on the mound for SF State and gave up five runs (two unearned) on six hits in three innings along with
three strike outs. The Gators also committed three errors in the game. SF State has nine errors in its first five games compared to two by its opponents.

“The numbers don’t tell how good he threw,” SF State head coach Tony Dress said of Beal.

Jeff Henning relieved Beal and pitched 2 1/3 innings and gave up three runs on two hits with two walks.
Paul Karshner and Lucas Peters each pitched two-thirds of an inning and didn’t allow a run. But Aaron Laux, Sean Manning and Oscar Campos combined to give up 14 runs 11 hits in 1 1/3 innings pitched.

Matt Means (2-0) picked up the win for Sonoma State allowing four hits and a walk in five innings. The Gators only produced six hits for the game led by Bobby Carini (2-for-3), Andrew Randhawa (2-for-4),
Matt Edgecombe (1-for-4) and Jake Moore (1-for-1).

So far this season, the Gators have had a tough time on the road with all four of their losses coming away
from the Swamp.

“The last two road trips, we’ve gotten off the bus not ready to play,” Dress said. “We’ve got to work on
that.”

Although both teams are in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, this was a non-conference
matchup. But if SF State wants to contend in the CCAA this season, the Gators got a taste of the competition they face in league.

“It’s really the level at which we need to play at,”Dress said of Sonoma State.

In the second game, the Gators’ fortunes looked to turn for the better. Matt Kavanaugh blasted a home run to right-centerfield to give SF State a 1-0 lead in the first inning. But the lead was short-lived as the Seawolves’ Trevor Howell hit a two-run homer in the second to give Sonoma State a one-run lead.

Beau Moorehead started for the Gators and gave up five runs on nine hits while striking out two in five
innings. Moorehead has a 10.61 ERA this season in two starts. Although Dress feels Moorehead has pitched well this season, the senior still needs to find an “out” pitch, Dress said.

After Sonoma State added one run in the third and two more in the fifth to take a 5-1 lead, SF State’s Ernie
Munoz knocked a two-run single to cut the deficit to 5-3. But that would be as close as the Gators would
get as Ian Bridges’ solo home run in the sixth sealed the 6-3 win for the Seawolves.

Both Kavanaugh and Munoz finished 1-for-3 while Edgecombe went 2-for-3 for SF State.

Even though SF State lost the second game, the Gators were able to rebound from the blowout earlier in the day.

“We feel we walked off the field at the end of the day knowing we could compete with them,” Dress said.

The Gators try for their first road win of the season when travel to Monmouth, Ore. to play a four-game
series against Western Oregon beginning on Feb. 14.