Saturday, April 11
Bakersfield, CA
1:00 PM
UC Riverside
7
at
9
CSU Bakersfield
Two-Run HR In Bottom Of 15th Gives Roadrunners 9-7 Win Over UCR
4/11/2009 3:40:41 PM | Baseball
CSU Bakersfield 9, UC Riverside 7 (16 innings) - Box Score
The CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners avoided the sweep at the hands of the Highlanders Saturday afternoon outlasting UCR 9-7 in 15 innings. With one out and a runner on first, CSUB outfielder Jason Kudlock took Highlanders reliever Kevin Dickey's first offering over the left centerfield fence for the win. It was the longest game in terms of innings played for UC Riverside since a 16-inning marathon on March 28, 2008 at Cal State Fullerton.
Through the first inning and a half, things looked like they were going to go much as they had in the previous two meetings between the teams as a Ryan Goetz's two-run homer in the first and a Justin Shultz sacrifice fly in the second helped the Highlanders jump out to a 3-0 lead.
UCR starter Paul Applebee only faced three batters in the first inning, but in the second three consecutive singles to open the frame and a sacrifice fly made it 3-1. The Roadrunners scored two unearned runs in the third to tie things at three apiece.
In the top of the fourth, the Highlanders picked up an unearned run of their own when Goetz reached on an error and eventually scored on a Michael Nesbitt sacrifice fly.
Applebee kept CSUB in check in the bottom of the fourth, but the Roadrunners slapped four on the board in the fifth to take a 7-4 lead. The first three batters all reached safely scoring one run, and the Highlanders went to their bullpen bringing in Matt Larkins. With runners on first and second and nobody out, Larkins was greeted with a single, a wild pitch and a hit batsman. Two more runs would score before the inning was over.
UC Riverside got one run back in the top of the sixth as Nesbitt's second RBI of the day brought home Robert Brantly who doubled to open the inning.
In the top of the seventh, the Highlanders scored two more unearned runs to tie the game at seven, and it was still knotted up in the bottom of the tenth when CSU Bakersfield opened the inning with back-to-back singles off of UC Riverside reliever Dustin Emmons. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, the Highlanders went to closer Joseph Kelly to get them out of the jam.
The first batter to face the preseason All-American grounded back to the mound and Kelly threw home for out number one. The second hitter grounded to Bryan Horst at second and his throw to home gunned down the winning run for the second time in the inning. The third batter Kelly saw grounded out to Brian McConkey at first and UCR was out of the inning.
The Highlanders had two opportunities in the top of the 11th to push across the go-ahead run as McConkey started things off with a bunt sngle. Trevor Hairgrove bunted him to second, but Roadrunners pitcher Martin Medina snared Carl Uhl's grounder to get McConkey at third. Uhl stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball, but was stranded there.
Kelly worked a perfect bottom of the 11th and Kevin Dickey allowed just one hit in the 12th, 13th and 14th innings retiring the Roadrunners in order in the 12th and 13th. The Highlanders threatened in the top of the 15th as they loaded the bases with two outs, but Hairgrove's grounder to second ended the inning setting up Kudlock heroics in the CSUB half of the 15th.
UC Riverside returns home this week for a Tuesday tilt vs. Loyola Marymount at 6 pm and returns to conference action next weekend with a three-game series against No. 5 UC Irvine.
The CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners avoided the sweep at the hands of the Highlanders Saturday afternoon outlasting UCR 9-7 in 15 innings. With one out and a runner on first, CSUB outfielder Jason Kudlock took Highlanders reliever Kevin Dickey's first offering over the left centerfield fence for the win. It was the longest game in terms of innings played for UC Riverside since a 16-inning marathon on March 28, 2008 at Cal State Fullerton.
Through the first inning and a half, things looked like they were going to go much as they had in the previous two meetings between the teams as a Ryan Goetz's two-run homer in the first and a Justin Shultz sacrifice fly in the second helped the Highlanders jump out to a 3-0 lead.
UCR starter Paul Applebee only faced three batters in the first inning, but in the second three consecutive singles to open the frame and a sacrifice fly made it 3-1. The Roadrunners scored two unearned runs in the third to tie things at three apiece.
In the top of the fourth, the Highlanders picked up an unearned run of their own when Goetz reached on an error and eventually scored on a Michael Nesbitt sacrifice fly.
Applebee kept CSUB in check in the bottom of the fourth, but the Roadrunners slapped four on the board in the fifth to take a 7-4 lead. The first three batters all reached safely scoring one run, and the Highlanders went to their bullpen bringing in Matt Larkins. With runners on first and second and nobody out, Larkins was greeted with a single, a wild pitch and a hit batsman. Two more runs would score before the inning was over.
UC Riverside got one run back in the top of the sixth as Nesbitt's second RBI of the day brought home Robert Brantly who doubled to open the inning.
In the top of the seventh, the Highlanders scored two more unearned runs to tie the game at seven, and it was still knotted up in the bottom of the tenth when CSU Bakersfield opened the inning with back-to-back singles off of UC Riverside reliever Dustin Emmons. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, the Highlanders went to closer Joseph Kelly to get them out of the jam.
The first batter to face the preseason All-American grounded back to the mound and Kelly threw home for out number one. The second hitter grounded to Bryan Horst at second and his throw to home gunned down the winning run for the second time in the inning. The third batter Kelly saw grounded out to Brian McConkey at first and UCR was out of the inning.
The Highlanders had two opportunities in the top of the 11th to push across the go-ahead run as McConkey started things off with a bunt sngle. Trevor Hairgrove bunted him to second, but Roadrunners pitcher Martin Medina snared Carl Uhl's grounder to get McConkey at third. Uhl stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball, but was stranded there.
Kelly worked a perfect bottom of the 11th and Kevin Dickey allowed just one hit in the 12th, 13th and 14th innings retiring the Roadrunners in order in the 12th and 13th. The Highlanders threatened in the top of the 15th as they loaded the bases with two outs, but Hairgrove's grounder to second ended the inning setting up Kudlock heroics in the CSUB half of the 15th.
UC Riverside returns home this week for a Tuesday tilt vs. Loyola Marymount at 6 pm and returns to conference action next weekend with a three-game series against No. 5 UC Irvine.
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