Riverside—Last season, UC Riverside's Angel Landazuri played the roll of the hard luck pitcher posting the best ERA amongst the team's starters (3.55) and allowing two or fewer runs in five of seven starts, but getting minimal run support en route to a 1-4 W-L record. The junior right hander was every bit as effective Saturday afternoon against visiting Kansas State, and the UCR offense came through as well, as the Highlanders evened their record at 1-1 with a 6-3 victory.
Landazuri (1-0) allowed just four hits and two walks in seven innings of work, but one of those hits was a solo shot in the second off the bat of Jake Scudder. The Wildcats' (1-1) first baseman turned on a 1-1 offering, and sent it to the deepest part of The Plex before it bounced off the top of, and over, the 20-foot wall in center field for a 1-0 K-State lead.
The Wildcats managed just one more hit off Landazuri over his final five innings of work, however, giving the Highlanders' offense the time it needed to get on track. UC Riverside collected four hits Friday evening, and added just one more to its season total through the first three innings Saturday, but the bats finally came alive in the bottom of the fourth.
Vince Fernandez led off the inning with a double down the right field line, and after Codey Worden was hit by a pitch, Drake Zarate sacrificed them both up 90 feet. Aaron Cisneros then singled down the left field line, scoring the pair to put the Highlanders on top, 2-1.
Worden made it 3-1 UC Riverside in the bottom of the sixth when he lifted a 1-0 pitch from Wildcats starter Parker Rigler (0-1), over the fence in left center. Michael Farris gave the Highlanders a three-run cushion in the bottom of the seventh when his triple to right center scored AJ Sawyer to make it 4-1 UCR.
The Highlanders would need all of those runs, as the bullpen ran into trouble in the top of the eighth. Landazuri was lifted after his seventh inning of work in favor of Matthew Ellis. Ellis struggled with his command, though, walking two of the first three batters he faced before giving way to Ryan Lillie.
Lillie walked the bases loaded before striking out Josh Rolette for the second out of the inning, but he walked the next two, forcing in a pair of runners and slicing the UC Riverside advantage to one, 4-3.
Jared Morton became the third UCR pitcher of the inning, getting Danny Krause to pop up to the catcher with the bases loaded to end the threat.
The Highlanders tacked on two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth as with two outs, Mark Contreras' bloop to shallow right fell between Scudder and right fielder Cade Bunnell. That allowed Zarate and Cisneros to come all the way around to score from second and first respectively for the final margin of victory.
Morton recorded the final three outs in the ninth to pick up his first save of the season.
The Highlanders and Wildcats play game three of their four-game series Sunday beginning at 1 pm PT.
