Riverside—In a back and forth affair that saw the UC Riverside Baseball Team send the game into extra innings with a score in the bottom of the ninth, it was New Mexico State who eked out the win, plating a run in the 10th for a 6-5 victory.
The Highlanders (8-12) trailed by a pair of runs on two occasions, the last of which came over the final two innings of regulation play. It was a 5-3 Aggies advantage heading into the bottom of the eighth, and UC Riverside had its 3-4-5 hitters coming to the plate.
Ian Nowak began the inning with a single to center, and Cameron Haskell singled through the right side to put runners at first and second. After Casey Worden laid down a successful sacrifice bunt moving both runners up 90 feet, Mark Contreras struck out swinging for the second out.
Head Coach Troy Percival brought in Aaron Cisneros to pinch hit for Steven Mercado II, and the junior from San Bernardino California drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases. The next batter, Colby Schultz, ripped a hard shot towards New Mexico State (12-10) third baseman Trey Stine. Stine dove to his left, knocking the ball down, but he had no play, and Nowak scored to bring the Highlanders to within one.
UC Riverside threatened again in the bottom of the ninth, putting runners on first and second with one out for Haskell. Haskell singled up the middle to score Vince Fernandez with the tying run, and Worden drew a walk to load the bases.
That brought UC Riverside's leading RBI man, Contreras, to the plate, and for a split second, it appeared as if he delivered the game-winning hit as he sent a 1-1 offering back up the box. Unfortunately, the ball went directly back up the box, where it hit relief pitcher Joe Galindo in the stomach. He was able to pounce on the ball and throw home to get the force out, keeping the score tied at five. Cisneros then struck out swinging for the third out, and the teams headed into extra innings.
Ryan Lillie came out for his second inning of relief work, and Aggies pinch hitter Zak Felix worked a one-out walk to put the go-ahead run on board. A sacrifice bunt moved Felix to second, and after an intentional walk set up a force at any base, the Highlanders lost that advantage as a wild pitch put runners at second and third. Brent Sakurai then singled to left scoring Felix. Contreras kept it a one run game as his throw home on the play nailed Dan Hetzel for the final out of the inning.
The Highlanders got a runner on in their half of the 10th with a two-out hit by pitch, but Galindo (2-0) struck out Matt Hardy to seal the win.
Ricky Delgado got the start for UC Riverside, and after allowing two runs in the first, the right-hander settled down to retire 15 straight batters at one point.
Fernandez drew a base-loaded walk in the second to cut the Aggies lead in half, and Michael Farris blasted his first home run of the season—a two-run shot over the left center field wall—in the fourth, to put UC Riverside on top, 3-2.
New Mexico State regained the lead in the top of the seventh thanks in part to a Highlanders error. The Aggies send eight men to the plate, and when the dust settled it was 6-4 NMSU.
The Highlanders are on the road this Tuesday, traveling to San Diego State for a 6 pm PT first pitch against the Aztecs.
