Baseball Season Ends With 5-1 Loss At Hawai'i

Saturday, May 24

Honolulu, HI

9:35 pm

UC Riverside

26-28, 12-12

Hawai'i

22-31, 6-18

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UC Riverside	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	10	2
Hawai'i	1	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	5	11	0

Photo by: Carlos Puma

Baseball Season Ends With 5-1 Loss At Hawai'i

5/25/2014 6:58:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Honolulu, HI—The UC Riverside Baseball season came to a close, Saturday night, with a 5-1 loss at Hawai'i as the Highlanders finished the 2014 campaign with a record of 26-28, including 12-12 in Big West Conference play.

Rainbow Warriors starter Matt Cooper (6-5) kept UC Riverside off balance facing just one batter over the minimum through the first five innings. The Highlanders managed three hits during that span, but two of those base runners were erased trying to steal second.

UCR's Ben Doucette, meanwhile, lasted just two-and-two-thirds innings allowing five hits, two walks and three runs. Angel Landazuri took over with two outs in the bottom of the third, pitching 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball to keep the game close.

The Highlanders offense began to figure Cooper out in the fifth, as Francisco Tellez opened the frame with a walk, and Drake Zarate's single through the right side put runners on first and second. A sac bunt by Matt Ellis advanced both runners 90 feet, and one batter later, a wild pitch brought Tellez plateward. Alex Rubanowitz drew a walk to put Highlanders on the corners, but Joe Chavez lifted a fly ball to center for the final out of the inning.

UC Riverside had additional opportunities in the later innings, but they stranded seven runners over the final three frames. In the seventh, Tellez began the inning with a single to left center, but the next two batters were retired. A Cody Hough double put both men in scoring position, but Rubanowitz struck out looking for the third out.

Chavez struck out and Devyn Bolasy grounded out to begin the eighth, before Thomas Walker singled to center and David Andriese drew a free pass. Tellez flied out to left stranding the pair.

By the time the Highlanders came up in the ninth, it was a 5-1 Hawai'i lead as the Rainbow Warriors (22-31, 6-18) scored a pair of runs off of UCR reliever Cody Rogina in the bottom of the seventh. Still, UC Riverside began the inning with back-to-back-to-back singles by Zarate, Ellis and Hough to load the bases, and give the Highlanders hope.

But UC Riverside failed to score any of the runners, as Hawai'i relief pitcher Eric Gleese struck out Rubanowitz and Chavez before getting Bolasky to ground out to third for the final out of the inning, and the season.

The Highlanders 12 conference wins on the year are their most since the 2010 season when they finished 13-11 and in third place in the Big West.