Saturday, May 13
UC Riverside
8
vs
5
Cal State Northridge
UCR Scores Late for 8-5 Win
5/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
UC Riverside scored three times in the seventh inning to break a 5-5 tie and held on for an 8-5 victory over Cal State Northridge in a Big West Conference game Saturday afternoon at the Riverside Sports Complex. The Highlanders rebounded from Friday’s loss to improve to 25-21, 6-8 BWC while the Matadors fall to 24-24, 5-9.
After CSUN scored twice in the top of the seventh to tie the game at five-all, UCR rallied off of Matador reliever Matt Gaylord (1-1). Junior LF D.J. Hollingsworth led off with a double to left, just beating out the throw to second. A sacrifice bunt moved him over to third and junior 1B Kyle Barratt was intentionally walked to set up a double play opportunity. Senior C Jeff Abney then laid down a safety squeeze bunt and Hollingsworth slid under the tag to give the Highlanders the 6-5 advantage. Three batters later, sophomore SS Jaime Pedroza doubled to center, bringing home Abney and Barratt to make it 8-5.
Sophomore LHP Dan Runzler (3-3) gained the win, pitching 1 2/3 innings of one-hit ball in relief of starter junior RHP Taylor Bills. Bills went 6 1/3 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits. Junior RHP Daniel Stange closed out the game to pick up his 11th save of the year.
Cal State Northridge had taken a 2-0 lead in the first as Steve Lemmon hit a triple off the top of the wall in left-center to tally the game’s first run. He then came home on James Scott’s single.
The Highlanders bounced back with a run in the bottom of the frame on an RBI double by Hollingsworth. After CSUN scored again in the top of the second to go ahead 3-1, UCR took the lead with a three-spot in its half of the second. Barratt opened the inning with a single, one of his three hits on the day. Abney followed with a single and both runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt. Pedroza’s sacrifice fly plated Barratt and senior RF Aaron Grant hit a single to left to tie the game at three. A double steal by Grant and junior CF Brett Bigler produced the third run of the inning as Lemmon threw the ball away.
UCR’s lead extended to 5-3 in the third. With one out, sophomore DH Aaron Wible singled, moving to third on Barratt’s double. Wible was thrown out at the plate on a grounder to third, one of six close plays at the plate on the day. Another followed as Barratt scored with two outs on a passed ball, sneaking under the tag.
Bills kept the Matadors in check until the seventh. A one-out single put a runner at first and he moved to second on a wild pitch. Pedroza then misplayed a grounder, putting runners on first and third. Lemmon followed with a single that made it 5-4 and marked the end of Bills’ day. Runzler came on and got the first out before surrendering the tying run on a single to center by Jorge Andrade, Jr. Runzler got out of the inning without any further harm to set up UCR’s seventh-inning rally.
Barratt finished the day a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, scoring three times and adding an intentional walk. Grant also had three hits, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Pedroza drove in three for UCR while Hollingsworth had a 2-for-3 outing with two walks and two doubles.
CSUN used four pitchers, with starter Edwin Quirarte lasting just 1 2/3 innings, in which he allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits. Jimmy Jolicoeur went 4 1/3 innings before Gaylord came on. Gaylord was tagged for three runs on just one hit and one walk in 1/3 of an inning. Lemmon had three hits and two RBI for the visitors.
The game featured three runners thrown out at the plate, two by the Matadors, one by UCR. In addition to Wible in the third, sophomore 2B Drew Garcia was caught at home in the sixth. In the middle of those two plays was CSUN’s Jonathan Sakurai, who was gunned down by Bigler trying to score from second on a single to end the fifth.
After CSUN scored twice in the top of the seventh to tie the game at five-all, UCR rallied off of Matador reliever Matt Gaylord (1-1). Junior LF D.J. Hollingsworth led off with a double to left, just beating out the throw to second. A sacrifice bunt moved him over to third and junior 1B Kyle Barratt was intentionally walked to set up a double play opportunity. Senior C Jeff Abney then laid down a safety squeeze bunt and Hollingsworth slid under the tag to give the Highlanders the 6-5 advantage. Three batters later, sophomore SS Jaime Pedroza doubled to center, bringing home Abney and Barratt to make it 8-5.
Sophomore LHP Dan Runzler (3-3) gained the win, pitching 1 2/3 innings of one-hit ball in relief of starter junior RHP Taylor Bills. Bills went 6 1/3 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits. Junior RHP Daniel Stange closed out the game to pick up his 11th save of the year.
Cal State Northridge had taken a 2-0 lead in the first as Steve Lemmon hit a triple off the top of the wall in left-center to tally the game’s first run. He then came home on James Scott’s single.
The Highlanders bounced back with a run in the bottom of the frame on an RBI double by Hollingsworth. After CSUN scored again in the top of the second to go ahead 3-1, UCR took the lead with a three-spot in its half of the second. Barratt opened the inning with a single, one of his three hits on the day. Abney followed with a single and both runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt. Pedroza’s sacrifice fly plated Barratt and senior RF Aaron Grant hit a single to left to tie the game at three. A double steal by Grant and junior CF Brett Bigler produced the third run of the inning as Lemmon threw the ball away.
UCR’s lead extended to 5-3 in the third. With one out, sophomore DH Aaron Wible singled, moving to third on Barratt’s double. Wible was thrown out at the plate on a grounder to third, one of six close plays at the plate on the day. Another followed as Barratt scored with two outs on a passed ball, sneaking under the tag.
Bills kept the Matadors in check until the seventh. A one-out single put a runner at first and he moved to second on a wild pitch. Pedroza then misplayed a grounder, putting runners on first and third. Lemmon followed with a single that made it 5-4 and marked the end of Bills’ day. Runzler came on and got the first out before surrendering the tying run on a single to center by Jorge Andrade, Jr. Runzler got out of the inning without any further harm to set up UCR’s seventh-inning rally.
Barratt finished the day a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, scoring three times and adding an intentional walk. Grant also had three hits, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Pedroza drove in three for UCR while Hollingsworth had a 2-for-3 outing with two walks and two doubles.
CSUN used four pitchers, with starter Edwin Quirarte lasting just 1 2/3 innings, in which he allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits. Jimmy Jolicoeur went 4 1/3 innings before Gaylord came on. Gaylord was tagged for three runs on just one hit and one walk in 1/3 of an inning. Lemmon had three hits and two RBI for the visitors.
The game featured three runners thrown out at the plate, two by the Matadors, one by UCR. In addition to Wible in the third, sophomore 2B Drew Garcia was caught at home in the sixth. In the middle of those two plays was CSUN’s Jonathan Sakurai, who was gunned down by Bigler trying to score from second on a single to end the fifth.
Day in the Life: Leilani Juan
Monday, May 04
UCR Student-Athletes cheer on our students.
Friday, May 01
UCR Athletics Director Introductory Full Press Conference
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Athletics Director Greg Paules Introductory Presentation Recap
Tuesday, March 24
