Baseball Falls 6-1 To Long Beach State

Saturday, May 17

Riverside, CA

6:00 pm

UC Riverside

24-25, 11-9

Long Beach State

28-24, 13-7

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Long Beach State	0	0	0	0	4	0	1	0	1	6	11	1
UC Riverside	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	8	1

Photo by: Gabriel L. Acosta

Baseball Falls 6-1 To Long Beach State

5/17/2014 8:49:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Riverside—The UC Riverside Baseball Team dropped a 6-1 decision to Long Beach State Saturday evening putting added pressure on the Highlanders late-season push for a post-season bid. The loss drops UCR to 24-25 overall and 11-9 in the Big West, two games back of the Dirtbags in the race for third place in the conference.

Long Beach State (28-24, 13-7) had its opportunities early putting runners in scoring positions in each of the first three innings, but the Highlanders kept them off the scoreboard thanks in part to the Dirtbags giving away three of their first nine outs—two on sacrifice bunts, and one on a caught stealing that ended the third.

LBSU starter Josh Frye (7-0) came into the game with a 1.61 ERA on the year, and he retired six of the first seven UC Riverside batters he faced. He ran into trouble in the bottom of the third, though. Cody Hough worked a walk to start the inning, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Alex Rubanowitz. Joe Chavez then singled through the right side, and the Highlanders sent Hough home on the play. Right fielder Richard Prigatano's throw to the plate was in plenty of time though.

Chavez stole second to put himself in scoring position, and Devyn Bolasky followed with a single through the right side. The Highlanders decided to test Prigatano again, and his throw once again beat the runner heading home, but Bolasky's acrobatic slide eluded the tag, and UC Riverside took a 1-0 lead.

Highlanders starter Zach Varela (5-5) retired the side in order in the top of the fourth, but he ran into trouble again in the top of the fifth. Number nine hitter Colton Vaughn reached on a one-out single, and lead-off hitter Colby Brenner laid a bunt down the third base line. He beat the throw to the bag, but Rubanowitz's throw was off the mark, allowing both Brenner and Vaughn to advance 90 feet. Garrett Hampson then lifted a sac fly to center to tie the score at one.

Brenner moved to third on the play, and after Ino Patron drew a four-pitch walk, Richard Prigatano's Baltimore Chop found its way into left field, putting the Dirtbags up 2-1. Varela then walked Hill on four pitches and Johnny Bekakis singled through the left side plating a pair and putting Long Beach State up by three.

The Highlanders threatened to cut into the lead in the bottom half of the fifth as they loaded the bases with two outs, but Thomas Walker's line drive was caught by the shortstop, Hampson.

The Dirtbags tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh with an assist to the lighting at The Plex. Patron lifted a fly ball to center with one out, but Bolasky lost it in the lights. It fell unharmed, and Patron was able to motor all the way around to third. He came home on the following play when Prigatano lifted another fly ball to center.

Kevin Sprague came on in relief to pitch the top of the ninth for the Highlanders, and Long Beach State connected on back-to-back-to-back singles to go up by a score of 6-1.

Kyle Friedrichs relieved Frye and pitched the bottom of the ninth to secure the win.