Derrick Chung scored one of two runs in the ninth but the Hornets lost at USF.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Andrew Ayers hit a two-run double in the ninth inning but it wasn't enough as the Sacramento State baseball team lost 3-2 to San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon at Benedetti Diamond.
The Hornets slide to 4-9 this season while the Dons improve to 5-7.
Karl Maas (1-1) took the loss despite allowing just two runs on four hits in six innings with two strikeouts and one walk. USF reliever Elliott Waterman (1-0) earned the win and Jonathan Abramson recorded his second save.
Maas crusied through the first five innings but ran into trouble in the sixth. After he hit Tom Barry with a pitch to lead of the inning, Barry would eventually come around to score on Pete Lavin's RBI double to center.
After Maas gave up a leadoff double to Adam Clear in the seventh inning, Brandon Creel came in for relief. Creel got Nik Balog to fly out but Clear moved to third and came home on Travis Higgs' sacrifice fly to center.
The Dons tacked on another run in the eighth off Sacramento State reliever Brandon Sandoval to make it a 3-0 lead entering the ninth.
With Jordan Remer on the mound for the Dons, the Hornets put together a walk and a single to third with two outs to bring the tying run to the plate. Ayers ripped a double to the gap in right center to score both David Del Grande and Derrick Chung but Abramson came in to get the final out and stopped the Hornets' rally one run short of forcing extra innings.
All but one of the Hornets' 13 games this season have been decided by two-or-less runs.
Sacramento State will be back in action this weekend with a three-game set at UC Irvine, which is ranked No. 21 in the nation according to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
San Francisco 3, Sacramento State 2 (Mar 07, 2011 at San Francisco, Calif)
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Sacramento State.... 000 000 002 - 2 8 1 (4-9)
San Francisco....... 000 001 11X - 3 5 1 (5-7)
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Pitchers: Sacramento State - Maas, Karl; Creel, Brandon(7); Sandoval, Brandon(8).
San Francisco - LOVE, Cameron; LUIPPOLD, Garrett(3); HINKLE, Haden(5); WATERMAN, Elliott(6);
BALOG, Alex(7); REMER, Jordan(8); ABRAMSON, Jonathan(9).
Win-WATERMAN, Elliott(1-0) Save-ABRAMSON, Jonathan(2) Loss-Maas, Karl(1-1) T-2:26 A-84
Weather: 60, partly cloudy
Maas faced 1 batter in the 7th.
