Riverside—The UC Riverside Baseball Team (12-16, 1-5) continues its five-game home stand Easter Weekend with a three-game Big West series against Hawai'i (19-11, 1-2). With Sunday's holiday, games this week will be on Thursday, April 13 (6 pm PT), Friday, April 15 (6 pm), and Saturday (1 pm).
The Highlanders are looking to end a seven-game losing skid, and have dropped 11 of their last 13 games. Eight of those 13 games were against nationally-ranked competition, including Tuesday evening's, 14-1, loss to #24 San Diego (
box score/
recap).
UC Riverside's offense has been going through a slump of late. The Highlanders led the Big West in runs per game as last as a week ago, but over the last nine games, they have scored two or fewer runs on six occasions, and more than four runs just once. In conference play, UCR is hitting .186/.237/.273 with 45 strikeouts in 194 at bats.
Colby Schultz is battering Big West pitching to the tune of .409/.435/.591, but nobody else on the team is hitting better than .261.
The team's pitching has also slipped of late. Against Big West foes, the Highlanders have an ERA of 7.24. In 51.0 innings they have struck out 33 batters and walked 29, and teams are hitting .311 against them.
Right-hander Ricky Delgado (0-1, 6.16) takes the mound Thursday for his fifth start of the season. He also has five relief appearances to his credit. As a starter, Delgado is holding the opposition to a .244 batting average, but has walked 12 in 19.1 innings of work.
Righty Ryan Lillie (0-4, 3.82) gets the nod on Friday evening. He has had some tough luck during his starts this season: Although he boats an ERA of 3.79, and holds the opposition to a .257 batting average as a starter, he is 0-3 in that role. The offense hasn't given Lillie much support, scoring five runs in his three starts.
The Highlanders send a third right-hander to the mound on Saturday in the form of Alex Fagalde (5-1, 3.07). He is tied for the conference lead in wins, and leads the team in innings pitched (41.0) and strikeouts (35). He also has a five-to-one, strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Hawai'i began Big West play dropping two of three at Cal Poly last weekend. Those were the first three road games of the season for the Rainbow Warriors.
They are hitting .372/.368/.385 as a team, and have four regulars hitting better than .300. Kekai Rois (.337/.446/.446) is Hawai'i's top overall hitter, while Josh Rojas is the Rainbow Warrior's top power threat with a .485 slugging percentage. Hawai'i doesn't run often, averaging just over one stolen base attempt per game, but Dylan Vchulek is 10-12 in that department, and ranks second in the Big West in steals.
The Rainbow Warriors send right-hander Brendan Hornung (4-2, 2.30) to the mound Thursday. He has 62 strikeouts in 62.2 innings pitched this season, to go along with just five walks—by far the best strikeout-to-walk-ratio in the Big West, and the fifth-best ratio in the nation.
Lefty-hander Dominic DeMiero (4-2, 2.44) gets the call on Friday. Although not quite in Hornung's class, he has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than six to-one (31 Ks, 5 BBs).
On Saturday, Hawai'i goes with righty Neil Uskali (4-2, 3.33). He has 30 strikeouts and 10 walks in 48.2 innings pitched on the year.
The Highlanders are 5-8 all-time against the Rainbow Warriors (
view results), but have lost six of the seven meetings between the clubs.
