Highlanders End Four-Game Skid With 11-7 Win Over Visiting UNLV

UC Riverside 11, UNLV 7 Box Score

Riverside—The UC Riverside Baseball Team Put a Stop To Its Four-Game Losing Streak Tuesday evening with an 11-7 win over visiting UNLV. Eddie Orozco (1-2) picked up his first win as a member of the Highlanders scattering five hits over six innings and allowing three earned runs. Tony Nix drove in five runs while Joey Gonzales (pictured) scored four.

The Rebels got on the scoreboard first plating one run in the top of the first inning thanks to a walk, a single and a wild pitch. However the Highlanders batted around in the bottom of the first scoring four runs to take a lead they would never relinquish.

Gonzales started the hit parade with an infield single to short and Michael Hur moved him to third with a single up the middle. Robert Brantly singled through the left side to tie the game at one and put runners on first and second. Justin Shults followed with a single to right to load the bases.

Nix then reached on a fielder's choice grounder to short scoring Hur. A walk to Eddie Young loaded the bases again and Bryan Horst made it 4-1 Highlanders with a single to center.

Robert Brantly added to the UC Riverside lead in the bottom of the second when his grounder to second scored Gonzales who opened the inning with a walk.

The Rebels got a run back in the top of the fourth when Robbie De La Cruz cracked a double to right center that scored Brandon Bayardi. But Hur got the run back in the bottom of the inning when his double scored Gonzales who reached on a triple one batter earlier.

Orozco gave up another run in the top of the sixth when Bayardi reached on a double to center that Nix lost in the lights. Kyle Kretchmer's single to left brought Bayardi home, but Orozco worked out of the jam by inducing a double play grounder off the bat of De La Cruz.

Gonzales scored his fourth run of the game in the bottom of the sixth coming plateward on a Robert Brantly double, and a Nix sac fly scored Hur for an 8-3 UC Riverside lead.

Mark Garcia took over for Orozco in the top of the seventh, and that's when the Rebels began to mount a comeback. The first two batters of the inning reached on a walk and a single, but Garcia settled down striking out the next two hitters. A walk to Drew Beuerlein loaded the bases, however, and Bayardi's double to center brought all three runners home cutting the Highlanders lead to two.

Derek Speigner came on to relieve Garcia and struck out Travis Feiner to end the inning. In the top of the eighth, Speigner struck out RJ Arnold to open the frame, but he then gave up a double and two singles to make it an 8-7 ballgame. Matt Andriese recorded the final out of the eighth by striking out Beuerlein.

in the bottom of the eighth, the UC Riverside offense awoke once more to put the game out of reach. Hur walked to start the rally, moving to second on a Brantly single to right. Two batters later, Nix hit a line drive home run over the left field wall and the Highlanders cushion was back to four.

Mitch Patito came on in the top of the ninth for UCR allowing a lead-off walk to Bayardi before retiring the next three Rebels hitters to close out the victory.

UNLV starter Brady Zuniga (5-1) was saddled with his first loss of the season as he lasted just two innings allowing six hits, three walks and five earned runs. The Rebels used six pitchers on the evening.

Next up for UCR is the completion of two rain-delayed games on Wednesday, May 12 against Loyola Marymount. The first game begins at 4 pm with the Highlanders trailing the Lions. 7-0, in the top of the fourth inning. The second game will begin approximately 30 minutes after the end of the first game.

Highlanders End Four-Game Skid With 11-7 Win Over Visiting UNLV

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