Saturday, February 19
Riverside, CA
12:00 PM
UC Riverside
3
vs
0
Loyola Marymount
Photo by: Ross French
Larkins Strikes Out 11 As Highlanders Split Double Header With LMU
2/19/2011 4:44:28 PM | Baseball
Game 1 - UC Riverside 3, Loyola Marymount 0 - Box Score
Game 2 - Loyola Marymount 4, UC Riverside 2 - Box Score
Riverside—The inclement weather stayed away most of the day as UC Riverside (1-2) and Loyola Marymount (2-1) tangled in a double header Saturday at the Riverside Sports Complex. Matt Larkins (1-0) struck out 11 and walked none in game one as the Highlanders picked up a 3-0 victory, but UCR couldn't complete the sweep of the double dip as LMU took the second game, 4-2.
Larkins picked up his first K of the day to close out the first as Matt Koch took a called third strike and the Lions went down in order. The Highlanders got all of the runs they would need in the first inning as a Tony Nix's single brought home Eddie Young who opened the inning with a single of his own.
The senior right-hander picked up two more strikeouts in the second as UCR enjoyed another one, two three inning. Zac Fujimoto's infield single to open the third gave the Lions their first base runner of the game, but Larkins struck out the next hitter, and catcher Dan Pellegrino gunned down Fujimoto trying to steal second before Bret Dahlson grounded out to third to end the inning.
Loyola Marymount put another runner aboard in their half of the fourth as Matt Lowenstein singled to left center, advanced to second on a sac bunt and moved to third on a wild pitch, but Larkins worked out of the jam stranding Lowenstein.
UC Riverside tacked on another run in the fourth as Pellegrino led off the frame with a single to left center, David Andriese followed with a walk, and Kyle Boudreau loaded the bases with a bunt single. AJ Beckley then lofted a fly ball to center field which scored Pellegrino.
Larkins allowed two singles in the fifth inning, but once again worked out of trouble. He retired the side in order in the sixth and seventh and allowed just a two-out single in the eighth. Colton Plaia was Larkins' final strike-out victim of the day, as the Corona, CA native recorded the most Ks by a member of the Highlanders since James Simmons sent 15 members of the San Francisco Dons back to the dugout on February 16, 2007.
UCR picked up another insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when Andriese laced a single up the middle scoring Justin Shults who doubled to open the frame.
Mitch Patitio picked up his first save of the season striking out two in a three-up, three-down top of the ninth.
Eddie Orozco (0-1) got the start for the Highlanders in game two, but LMU got to him early scoring single runs in the first and second innings. Koch doubled down the left field line in the first to score Lowenstein from second, and Dahlson's single to left in the second inning made it a 2-0 ballgame.
Meanwhile, the Highlanders managed just three baserunners through the first five innings off of LMU starter Martin Viramontes (1-0).
Gavin Mills came on in relief of Orozco to start the sixth, but two of the first three hitters singled off of the junior right-hander, and Fujimoto's ground out to second scored Shon Roe from third to give the Lions a 3-0 advantage.
The Highlanders finally got to Viramontes in the bottom of the sixth as Eddie Young opened the inning with a double to left and advanced to third on a Trevor Hairgrove ground out to short. Ryan Goetz reached on an error by Viramontes who was covering first on a Goetz grounder.
Tony Nix doubled Goetz to third, and that ended Viramontes' evening. John Lally came on in relief and promptly walked Shults to load the bases. Pinch hitter Vince Gonzalez lofted a fly ball foul down the right field line for a sac fly to cut the LMU advantage to one, 3-2.
The rain finally reared its ugly head in the seventh causing a 36-minute delay.
The Lions got one run back in the top of the eighth on a Jonathan Johnson sacrifice fly, and the Highlanders failed to score in their final to turns at bat despite getting the lead-off man on in each of the innings. Ryan Hawthorne came on in the ninth to pick up his second save of the season for LMU.
The Lions and Highlanders finish their four-game series on Sunday, February 20 at LMU beginning at 1 pm PT.
Game 2 - Loyola Marymount 4, UC Riverside 2 - Box Score
Riverside—The inclement weather stayed away most of the day as UC Riverside (1-2) and Loyola Marymount (2-1) tangled in a double header Saturday at the Riverside Sports Complex. Matt Larkins (1-0) struck out 11 and walked none in game one as the Highlanders picked up a 3-0 victory, but UCR couldn't complete the sweep of the double dip as LMU took the second game, 4-2.
Larkins picked up his first K of the day to close out the first as Matt Koch took a called third strike and the Lions went down in order. The Highlanders got all of the runs they would need in the first inning as a Tony Nix's single brought home Eddie Young who opened the inning with a single of his own.
The senior right-hander picked up two more strikeouts in the second as UCR enjoyed another one, two three inning. Zac Fujimoto's infield single to open the third gave the Lions their first base runner of the game, but Larkins struck out the next hitter, and catcher Dan Pellegrino gunned down Fujimoto trying to steal second before Bret Dahlson grounded out to third to end the inning.
Loyola Marymount put another runner aboard in their half of the fourth as Matt Lowenstein singled to left center, advanced to second on a sac bunt and moved to third on a wild pitch, but Larkins worked out of the jam stranding Lowenstein.
UC Riverside tacked on another run in the fourth as Pellegrino led off the frame with a single to left center, David Andriese followed with a walk, and Kyle Boudreau loaded the bases with a bunt single. AJ Beckley then lofted a fly ball to center field which scored Pellegrino.
Larkins allowed two singles in the fifth inning, but once again worked out of trouble. He retired the side in order in the sixth and seventh and allowed just a two-out single in the eighth. Colton Plaia was Larkins' final strike-out victim of the day, as the Corona, CA native recorded the most Ks by a member of the Highlanders since James Simmons sent 15 members of the San Francisco Dons back to the dugout on February 16, 2007.
UCR picked up another insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when Andriese laced a single up the middle scoring Justin Shults who doubled to open the frame.
Mitch Patitio picked up his first save of the season striking out two in a three-up, three-down top of the ninth.
Eddie Orozco (0-1) got the start for the Highlanders in game two, but LMU got to him early scoring single runs in the first and second innings. Koch doubled down the left field line in the first to score Lowenstein from second, and Dahlson's single to left in the second inning made it a 2-0 ballgame.
Meanwhile, the Highlanders managed just three baserunners through the first five innings off of LMU starter Martin Viramontes (1-0).
Gavin Mills came on in relief of Orozco to start the sixth, but two of the first three hitters singled off of the junior right-hander, and Fujimoto's ground out to second scored Shon Roe from third to give the Lions a 3-0 advantage.
The Highlanders finally got to Viramontes in the bottom of the sixth as Eddie Young opened the inning with a double to left and advanced to third on a Trevor Hairgrove ground out to short. Ryan Goetz reached on an error by Viramontes who was covering first on a Goetz grounder.
Tony Nix doubled Goetz to third, and that ended Viramontes' evening. John Lally came on in relief and promptly walked Shults to load the bases. Pinch hitter Vince Gonzalez lofted a fly ball foul down the right field line for a sac fly to cut the LMU advantage to one, 3-2.
The rain finally reared its ugly head in the seventh causing a 36-minute delay.
The Lions got one run back in the top of the eighth on a Jonathan Johnson sacrifice fly, and the Highlanders failed to score in their final to turns at bat despite getting the lead-off man on in each of the innings. Ryan Hawthorne came on in the ninth to pick up his second save of the season for LMU.
The Lions and Highlanders finish their four-game series on Sunday, February 20 at LMU beginning at 1 pm PT.
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