San Francisco’s Sheldon Defeats the Toreros, Twice

The University of San Diego baseball team has probably had its fill of Dave Sheldon of the University of San Francisco.

In a West Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader at DeBenedetti Diamond in San Francisco, Sheldon was the winning pitcher in the opener as the Dons beat USD, 10-6. In the second game, Sheldon’s one-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth gave USF a 3-2 victory and a sweep. The Toreros are 3-9, 12-25-1. USF is 17-14, 6-7, and has won 9 of its last 11 games.

Catcher Jeff Grotewald’s two-run homer in the fifth inning of the first game triggered a three-run Torero rally, which tied the game at 6. But the Dons regained the lead by scoring three times in their half of the fifth. Two of the runs came in on a single by Angelo Martin.

USF third baseman Ray McDonald paced a 14-hit attack by going 4 for 4 and driving in two runs. Martin, Rich Herbert and Nick LaRocca had two hits apiece. Sheldon (4-3) was the winner, Tom Sizer (1-6) took the loss.

The second game was tied 1-1 going into the eighth. Torero second baseman Paul Van Stone singled, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Sean Baron.

However, USF staged another comeback, this time in the ninth. Chris Kroener opened the inning with a single, and one out later, Sheldon’s ninth homer of the year made a loser out of USD right-hander Tom Seyler (4-5).