Bryan Horst's 11th Inning Double Gives UCR 5-4 Win Over #16 UCLA

Tuesday, April 5

Riverside, CA

6:00 PM

University of California, Riverside

UCLA

Bryan Horst's 11th Inning Double Gives UCR 5-4 Win Over #16 UCLA

4/5/2011 5:16:30 PM | Baseball

Watch the game-winning hit by Bryan Horst

UC Riverside 5, UCLA 4 (11 Innings) - Box Score

Riverside—Tony Nix's bloop pinch-hit single tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, and Bryan Horst's double down the left field line won it in the eleventh as the Highlanders erased a 3-0 deficit against No. 16 UCLA Tuesday evening to come away with a 5-4 win. Mark Garcia (1-1) pitched a scoreless top of the 11th to pick up the win for UCR.

Things looked bleak for the Highlanders as they entered the bottom of the ninth trailing the Bruins by a 4-3 score. UCLA closer Nick Vander Tuig (2-2) was on the mound, and UCR had managed just three hits through the first eight innings of play—none since the fourth inning.

But a little luck fell in the Highlanders lap as David Andriese opened the ninth with a grounder to third that Cody Regis was unable to field cleanly. A.J. Beckley pinch ran for Andriese, and Vince Gonzalez laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Beckley to second.

After Kyle Boudreau popped up to first for the second out of the inning, Tony Nix was sent up to pinch hit for Holinsworth. Nix was held out of the starting lineup to rest a sore hamstring, but the Poway, CA native delivered a single to right field, and Beckley beat the throw to the plate to tie the game at four.

Mitch Patito, who entered the game to start the ninth, pitched his second consecutive scoreless inning in the top of the tenth allowing just a two-out walk to Cody Keefer. UCR put runners at first and second in the bottom of the tenth, but Vander Tuig struck out Dan Pellegrino and Beckley to get out of the inning.

Garcia took over on the mound for UC Riverside in the top of the 11th, and he picked up where Patito left off retiring the Bruins in order.

In the Highlanders half of the 11th, Boudreau laced a one-out double down the right field line, and Bryan Horst, who entered the game back in the ninth as a pinch runner, hit a high chopper over third base for a double that brought Boudreau home with the game-winner.

The Highlanders got of on the wrong foot as Bruins leadoff hitter Jeff Gelalich started off the game with a triple off the wall in right center field. Highlanders rightfielder Justin Shults got his glove on the ball but was unable to come up with it. Beau Amaral followed with a single through the right side and it was 1-0 UCLA. The Bruins moved Amaral all the way to third in the inning but stranded him there as UCR starter Eddie Orozco worked his way out of the jam.

Orozco got into trouble again in the top of the fourth as the Bruins began the frame with a fly ball to left that Andriese let get away for an error. The next three batters reached on a bunt single, a walk and a single to make it 2-0 UCLA. After a visit from pitching coach Nathan Choate, Orozco got a double play grounder off the bat of Gelalich that made it 3-0 Bruins, before Amaral popped up a bunt to end the inning

UCLA starter Zack Weiss faced just one batter over the minimum in his three innings giving way to Scott Griggs in the fourth. It was a welcome change for the Highlanders, as Shults drew a one-out walk, and Ryan Goetz brought him home with a double to right center. After a Dan Pellegrino ground out moved Goetz to third, David Andriese singled through the left side to make it a 3-2 ballgame.

Chase Brewer took over for Griggs in the bottom of the fifth, and recorded the first out of the inning on a fly ball to left by Boudreau. He then walked Phil Holinsworth which brought Head Coach John Savage out of the dugout for a pitching change. Dennis Holt got the call, and he retired Eddie Young for the second out on a sac bunt which moved Holinsworth to second.

A wild pitch moved Holinsworth 90 feet to third, and Trevor Hairgrove drew a walk to put runners at the corners. Another wild pitch made it runners on second and third, and yet another walk, this one to Shults, loaded the bases. Holt then walked his third batter of the inning to tie the game at three. That ended his night as Brandon Lodge took over on the mound, getting Dan Pellegrino to fly out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Dylan Stuart took over for Orozco to start the sixth inning, and retired the Bruins in order, but he wasn't so fortunate in the seventh. He issued a lead-off walk to Amaral, and after Dean Espy sacrificed him to second, Regis singled to center scoring Amaral to put the Bruins back up by one.

UCLA reliever Mitchell Beacom retired all six Highlanders he faced in the seventh and eighth innings, keeping the score at 4-3, before handing the ball to Vander Tuig for UC Riverside's late-game heroics.

The Highlanders return to Big West action this weekend as the Pacific Tigers head south to the Riverside Sports Complex for a three-game series. First pitch Friday is slated for 6 pm PT.