Baseball Scores Two In 10th To Split Doubleheader With Saint Mary's

Saturday, March 19

Riverside, CA

2:00 PM

UC Riverside

Saint Mary's

Baseball Scores Two In 10th To Split Doubleheader With Saint Mary's

3/19/2011 2:28:44 PM | Baseball

GAME ONE - UC Riverside 4, Saint Mary's 3 (10) - Box Score
GAME TWO - Saint Marys 2, UC Riverside 1 - Box Score

Riverside, CA—Bart Stepanovich's bases-loaded single with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning Saturday gave the Highlanders a 4-3 walk-off win over Saint Mary's in game one of a double header, but UC Riverside managed just seven hits in game two falling to the Gaels in the nightcap, 2-1.

UC Riverside looked to have the first game in hand leading 2-1 as Saint Mary's came to the plate in the top of the ninth. Starter Trevor Frank had seven strikeouts through eight innings, and Ryan Goetz solo shot in the bottom of the seventh staked him to the one-run advantage.

But Gaels first baseman Troy Channing changed that quickly as he hit Frank's first offering of the inning over the right center field wall to tie the game at two.

In the bottom half of the frame, Bryan Horst reached on a single with one out, and after Grant Behic was retired fouling off a third strike bunt attempt, Stepanovich drew a walk and Phil Holinsworth was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That brought up Goetz with two outs, but his fly ball to center landed safely in the glove of Donald Collins for the third out of the inning.

Mark Garcia came on to pitch for the Highlanders to start the tenth and pinch hitter Danny Hayes greeted him with a single up the middle. Richard Boas entered the game to pinch run for Hayes, and moved up 90 feet after Collins' sac bunt. Markus Melgosa, who played the final out of the bottom of the ninth in left for the Gaels, singled through the left side moving Boas to third, and Brenden Kalfus was hit by a pitch ending Garcia's stint.

Mitch Patito took over on the hill with the bases loaded and just one out, but after falling behind 2-0 to Patrick Wisdom, he recorded three straight strikes for the second out of the inning. The Gaels pushed the go-ahead run across the plate the very next batter as Paitito plunked Channing to make it 3-2 Saint Mary's. The next batter, pinch hitter Shawn O'Brien, ran the count full against Patito, before swinging and missing at strike three,

With one out in the bottom of the tenth, Kyle Boudreau singled down the right field line and Tony Nix got hit by a pitch. Kevin Dickey took Boudreau's spot at second as a pinch runner, and moved to third when reliever Ryan Brockett walked David Andriese to load the bases. Kurt Jahnke answered the final call to the bullpen for the Gaels, and he promptly uncorked a wild pitch which scored Dickey. Horst drew a walk to load the bases again, and one batter later, Stepanovich's single to left gave the Highlanders the 4-3 win.

Frank didn't allow a hit through the first two innings striking out three, but he ran into trouble in the third as Toby DeMello led off the frame with a double and moved to third on a Michael Gastelum sac bunt. Frank struck out Donald Collins for the second out of the inning but plunked Justin Fazio with a 2-2 pitch to put runners at the corners. Frank ended the threat with a fielder's choice grounder to short off the bat of Brenden Kalfus.

A pair of one-out doubles gave Saint Mary's a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth as the Highlanders managed just two hits through the first four innings of play.

The Highlanders finally got on the board after a 17 inning scoreless streak in the bottom of the fifth. David Andriese began the inning with a single to left center. Eddie Young hit a grounder to short that almost got by Gaels shortstop Gastelum who was moving to cover second. Gastelum's throw beat Andriese, but second baseman Chris Murphy airmailed his relay throw into the Saint Mary's dug out allowing Young to move to second.

Gaels starter Kyle Barraclough tried to pick off Young one batter later, but his throw got away from Gastelum and Young advanced to third. AJ Beckley followed with a triple to center to tie the score at one. The Highlanders stranded Beckley at third, however, as Stepanovich struck out and Holinsworth lined out to center.

Goetz broke the one-one tie one inning later with a lead-off homer to right field that just cleared the fence. It was the first home run of the season for the senior third baseman. Barraclough's day ended two outs later as left hander Jordan Mills came in to replace him with two outs, Shults on second and Nix on first. Mills struck out Horst, however, and the score remained 2-1 Highlanders.

GAME TWO
Riverside—Matt Larkins got the start for the Highlanders in game two putting his perfect 3-0 mark on the line, but UC Riverside got behind in the top of the first as the second batter of the evening, Justin Fazio, ripped his first homer of the season down the right field line.

Larkins (3-1) found himself in a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the top of the third thanks to two infield singles and a single through the left side. After striking out Brenden Kalfus, Larkins walked Patrick Wisdom on a 3-2 pitch to double up the Gaels lead.

The Highlanders halved the Saint Mary's lead in the bottom of the fifth as Eddie Young singed to right center, Kyle Boudreau doubled him to left, and Phil Holinsworth drove him home with a sac fly to center.

The Gaels loaded the bases in the top of the sixth on a hit batsman and a pair of infield singles, but Larkins struck out the side to keep the Saint Mary's lead at 2-1.

It was still 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth when Eddie Young doubled down the right field line with one out to give the Highlanders some hope. But Boudreau struck out and Justin Shults popped up to center field to end the game.

UC Riverside and Saint Mary's are scheduled to play a fourth game on Sunday beginning at noon weather permitting.