Suicide Squeeze In The Ninth Gives Sacramento State 4-3 Win Over UCR Baseball

Saturday, February 23

11:00 AM

UC Riverside

2-4

Sacramento State

2-3

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UC Riverside	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	3	4	1
Sacramento State	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	4	14	0

Suicide Squeeze In The Ninth Gives Sacramento State 4-3 Win Over UCR Baseball

2/23/2013 1:59:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Sacramento, CA—The UC Riverside Baseball team fought back from a two-run deficit Saturday afternoon to tie the game at three, but Sacramento State loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth and Scotty Burcham's suicide squeeze brought Rhys Hoskins home with the winning run (Box Score).

The Highlanders were without the services of three players—Eddie Young, Zach Varela and Drake Zarate—who are sitting out the next four games for their roles in an altercation in the third inning of Friday afternoon's game.

Brennan Laitao got the start for the Hornets, and he was nearly untouchable allowing just three hits in seven innings of work. The Highlanders didn't record their first base hit of the day until Clayton Prestridge ripped a double down the left field line in the top of the sixth.

UC Riverside was still able to put a run on the board in the third inning, however, as Nick Vilter and Joe Chavez were each hit by a pitch, and after a wild pitch moved both runners up 90 feet, Devyn Bolasky's ground out to short scored Vilter.

That cut the Vikings advantage in half, as a half inning earlier, they touched UCR starter Jacob Smigelski for a pair of runs. Justin Higley led off the bottom of the second with a walk and advanced to second on an errant pick off attempt. David Del Grande singled through the left side to put runners on the corners, and Burcham's sac bunt plated the first run of the game.

Del Grande moved up to second on the play, and one batter later Scott Loper singled up the middle to make it a 2-0 Hornets lead.

Sacramento State tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth as one-out singles by Burcham and Dane Fujinaka put runners on first and second. One out later, Nathan Lukes laced a single through the right side scoring Burcham with the Hornets third run of the game.

Prestridge's sixth-inning double led to the Highlanders' second run of the game, as one batter later, Kyle Boudreau beat out an infield single to short and Prestridge never stopped running, cutting the Sac State advantage to one.

UC Riverside tied the game up the very next inning thanks to some perfectly-executed, station-to-station baseball. Phil Holinsworth led off the inning by beating out an infield single to third, and stole second to put the tying run in scoring position. Vilter's ground out to first moved Holinsworth to third, and Chavez lifted a fly ball to right that tied the game at three.

Mark Garcia (0-1) came on in relief of Smigelski to start the bottom of the seventh, and he immediately ran into some trouble walking the leadoff man, Lukes, and allowing singles to Chris Lewis and Will Soto to load the bases. But Garcia got Hoskins to pop out to second, Higley to strike out swinging and Del Grande to fly out to right field ending the threat.

Sacramento State threatened in the bottom of the eighth as well putting runners on first and second with two outs, but Garcia worked out of the jam once again to keep the game tied at three.

The bottom of the ninth brought more of the same with Soto leading off the frame with a single to left center and Hoskins drawing a base on balls. After Higley laid down a sacrifice bunt to put both runners in scoring position, Garcia intentionally walked Del Grande to load the bases.

Trevor Frank came on in relief of Garcia, and Burcham, laid down the bunt single that brought home the winning run.

Brandon Creel (1-0), who replaced Leitao on the mound for the Hornets in the eighth and allowed just one hit in his two innings of work, was credited with the win.

The Highlanders and Hornets square off in game two of today's double header beginning at approximately 2:15 pm PT.