Sacramento State Escapes Series Sweep With 5-2 Win Over Highlanders

Sunday, March 11

Riverside, CA

1:00 PM

UC Riverside

Sacramento State

Sacramento State Escapes Series Sweep With 5-2 Win Over Highlanders

3/11/2012 12:51:00 PM | Baseball

Sacramento State 5, UC Riverside 2 - Box Score

Riverside—The UC Riverside Baseball Team had its sights set on the team's first series sweep of the season Sunday afternoon, but Sacramento State bounced back from the weekend's two previous losses to head home with a 5-2 win.

One day after Eddie Orozco took a perfect game into the top of the seventh inning, Highlanders starter Trevor Frank (0-3) retired the six batters he faced in order, but that all came to an end in the top of the third when Frank plunked Andrew Ayers to open the frame. He then got a grounder to second off of the bat of Justin Higley, but it took a wicked bounce over second baseman Jake Gallaway putting runners at first and third.

Scotty Burcham then singled to left center to give Sac State (6-9) a 1-0 lead—its first of the series. With runners still at the corners, Kyle Moses dropped down a bunt that Frank fielded cleanly. The junior threw home in plenty of time to get Higley, who was streaking plateward, but Frank's throw was wide and got past catcher Bart Steponovich. Higley scored on the play putting the Hornets up 2-0.

Hunter Adrian laid down a sac bunt that moved the runners to second and third, and Will Soto lifted a sac fly to center. Rhys Hoskins followed with a single to center for the Hornets fourth run of the day before Derrick Chung's fly ball to right ended the rally.

Meanwhile, Sacramento State starter Brennan Leitao (1-0) kept the Highlanders in check allowing just to hits through the first three innings of play.

UC Riverside (6-9) threatened in the bottom of the fourth when Clayton Prestridge opened the inning with a single through the right side of the infield, and Eddie Young singled to left to move Prestridge up 90 feet. Vince Gonzalez hit into a 6-4-3 double play, but Leitao plunked the next two batters to load the bases for Steponovich. Steponovich went down swinging, though, preserving Sac State's 4-0 lead.

Frank settled down after the third retiring the next 12 batters in order, but the Highlanders couldn't solve Leitao. The freshman enjoyed three-up, three-down innings in the bottom of the fifth and seventh, and stranded runners on first and second in the bottom of the sixth.

The Hornets tacked on another run in the top of the eighth when Hunter Adrian got a hold of a Frank delivery and deposited it over the right field fence.

UC Riverside finally got on the board in the bottom of the eighth as Leitao's pitch count climbed above 100. Phil Holinsworth singled through the right side and Prestridge reached on a fielding error by third baseman Will Soto. Young then singled to right field scoring Holinsworth with the Highlanders first run of the game.

Gonzalez hit what appeared to be an inning-ending double play grounder, but second baseman Andrew Ayers' throw to first was wide of the bag and got past first baseman Clay Cederquist allowing Prestridge to come home with UCR's second run of the day.

That was all for Leitao, as RJ Davis came on in relief in search of his third save of the season. The move almost backfired as Davis wild pitched Gonzalez to third, but he got Drake Zarate to fly out to center to end the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, Davis issued a one-out walk to pinch hitter Kyle Boudreau, but Jake Gallaway flied out to left field and Devyn Bolasky flied out to center to end the game.