BOX SCORE San Francisco State 2, #24 Sonoma State 1 -- Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO -- Steven Moen delivered a game-tying RBI single in the top of the eighth inning, but host San Francisco State retook the lead in its next at bat and Sonoma State couldn't recover as the 24th-ranked Seawolves suffered a narrow 2-1 loss to the host Gators on Sunday afternoon at Maloney Field in San Francisco.  Sonoma falls to 18-8 overall and 10-6 in the CCAA while SF State improves to 10-18 and 7-13 in conference play.

Through the first five innings, the game would feature pitcher's duel between Sonoma's Matt Manfre and SF State's Jack Veronin, but the Gators threatened in the bottom of the second.  Mark Lindsay reached on an error to leadoff the inning, got to second on wild pitch by Manfre and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Justin Lamb.  However, Manfre retired Carter Loud on a pop out to right field, walked Randy Villa, then induced an inning-ending flyout off the bat of Peter Quigley to end the threat.

In the top of the fourth, the Seawolves put runners on first and second with one out.  Sam Montgomery delivered a single up the middle, but Devon Zenn rounded third, had to put on the breaks and, in the process, slipped on the base line.  On his attempt to return to third base, the throw in from the outfield was cut off and fired to third base where Zenn was tagged out.  Veronin then got out of the inning with a strikeout.

A run finally came across the plate in the Gator sixth when Miguel Flores, who singled with one out, moved to third on a throwing error by Manfre on a failed pickoff attempt.  Lindsay took advantage of the miscue, singling home Flores on a hit to right center for the 1-0 San Francisco State lead.  Steven Zaharias replaced Manfre and a sacrifice bunt later in the frame put SFSU runners on second and third, but Zaharias got Villa to end the inning with a groundout.

Sonoma State got the run back and tied the game in the top of the eighth off of reliever Eric Watts, who took over for Veronin at the start of the sixth.  Zenn walked to lead off the inning, then advanced to second on a groundout by Garrett Schwartz.  On the next pitch, Steven Moen singled down the right field line, allowing Zenn to score from second to knot the score at 1-1.

San Francisco State punched right back in its half of the eighth when Dillon Meyer reached on a dropped fly ball; he hustled to second on the play.  After Zaharias came back with a strikeout, Lindsay came up and lined a single down the right field line to score Meyer from second for the go-ahead run.  Zaharias retired the next to Gator batters to end the eighth, but SF State took a 2-1 lead into the top of the ninth inning.

Gator freshman Nolan Sheridan came on at the start of the ninth and retired the side in order to earn his first career save.  Taylor Wade (2-0) earned the victory for SFSU after working the final two-thirds of the eighth inning.  Grady Espinosa and Lindsay both went 2 for 4 -- Lindsay recorded both RBI in the game for the host Gators.

Montgomery and Moen both went 2 for 3 in the contest, combining for four of the six Sonoma State hits on Sunday.  Zaharias (1-2) suffered the loss, giving up the winning run in the eighth.  Manfre worked the first 5.1 innings, giving up one run on four hits and one walk, striking out one.

Sonoma State will continue its season-long 11-game roadtrip on Thursday when it travels to Pomona to begin a four-game series with Cal Poly Pomona.  The Seawolves and Broncos will play a single game Thursday, starting at 3:00 p.m.