Baseball Keeps Postseason Hopes Alive With 8-2 Victory Over Long Beach State

Friday, May 16

Riverside, CA

6:00 pm

UC Riverside

24-24, 11-8

Long Beach State

27-24, 12-7

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Long Beach State	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	9	3
UC Riverside	3	0	0	0	3	1	0	1	X	8	12	2

Photo by: Carlos Puma

Baseball Keeps Postseason Hopes Alive With 8-2 Victory Over Long Beach State

5/16/2014 9:09:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Riverside—The UC Riverside Baseball Team continues to make its late season push for an NCAA bid beating Long Beach State Friday night 8-2 to pull within one game of the DIrtbags in the race for third place in the Big West.

The Highlander (24-24, 11-8) scored three runs in the bottom of the first on just one hit as a series of Dirtbags defensive lapses extended the inning. Joe Chavez started out the frame with a grounder to third, which Michael Hill sent past first base and down into the right field bullpen That allowed Chavez to scamper all the way to third.

Devyn Bolasky then reached on an infield single to put runners on the corners, bringing up Thomas Walker. Walker hit a grounder to third, and Chavez broke for the plate, drawing a throw from Hill. Chavez turned back towards third, and was able to elude the tag when catcher Eric Huttting threw back to the base.

One batter later, Long Beach State starter Andrew Rohrbach (6-2), who came into the game with a 1.92 ERA, plunked Nick VIlter to drive in the first run of the game. Francisco Tellez then draw a walk to make it 2-0 Highlanders, and Drake Zarate lifted a sac fly down the left field line to give UC Riverside a three-run cushion.

Jake Smigelski (8-5) put goose eggs on the board in the first three innings, but he allowed an unearned run in the top of the fourth. Garrett Hampson led of the inning with a grounder to short, but Cody Hough's throw was off the mark, and Hampson made his way to third. Ino Patron lifted a flay ball to center that scored Hampson cutting the Highlanders' advantage to two.

It remained a 3-1 game into the fifth, but UC Riverside broke the game open in the bottom of the inning scoring three more runs off of Rohrbach. Bolasky began the inning by tripling to center field, and Walker singled through the left side to plate Bolasky. David Andriese then grounded a potential double play ball to second, but Colton Vaughn couldn't field it cleanly, and both UCR runners were safe.

Alex Rubanowitz loaded the bases laying down a perfect bunt down the third base line, and Tellez was hit by a pitch to make it 5-1 Highlanders. Drake Zarate's ground out to short scored Andriese with UC Riverside's sixth run of the game.

The Dirtbags (27-24, 12-7) pushed across a run in the top of the sixth stringing together three singles, but the Highlanders got the run back in their half of the inning, once again taking advantage of a Long Beach State miscues. Bolasky reached with one out on a throwing error by Hill at third base, and stole second one out later. Andriese's single down the left field line scored Bolasky to put UCR back up again by five. That run came against relief pitcher Logan Lombana, who took over for Rohrbach to start the inning.

Bolasky ended the scoring in the bottom of the eighth as he led off the frame with a solo shot over the Pepsi sign in right field.

Dylan Stuart pitched the final two innings of the game to close out the win.

The Highlanders and Dirtbags play game two of their three-game Big West Conference series on Saturday beginning at 6 pm PT.