Photos By David Cohen / BHEphotos
David Cohen
12
Winner UC Riverside UCR 2-5
3
San Jose State SJ 4-2
Winner
UC Riverside UCR
2-5
12
Final
3
San Jose State SJ
4-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
UC Riverside UCR 0 1 1 0 0 2 3 4 1 12 12 0
San Jose State SJ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 12 3

W: Lyons, Shamus (1-1) L: MITCHEL (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Gets Much Needed 12-3 Win vs. San Jose State

SAN JOSE, Calif.—All of the pieces fell into place for the UC Riverside Baseball team on Saturday against San Jose State in a 12-3 win, marking the team's second win of the season.

Shamus Lyons set the tone early for the Highlanders with the best performance by a starting pitcher so far this season. He tossed 7 1/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits.

A day after head coach Troy Percival used five relievers, Lyons was exactly what the doctor ordered. Through five innings, Lyons had thrown just 57 pitches.

The offense followed suit. Scoring two runs through the first three innings, the team combined to score 10 runs over the final four frames.

In the top of the sixth inning, the Highlanders put runners in scoring position after an error and hit by pitch. Justin Mannens doubled to left field, scoring two runs and giving the Highlanders a 4-0 lead.

It was an important half inning that didn't just give the Highlanders a much needed cushion. It also showed they can find success with runners in scoring position.

The achilles heel of the Highlanders (2-5) so far this season has been their inability to hit with runners in scoring position. The team came in hitting just .196 so far this season with RISP, while opponents were hitting .396.

The Highlanders didn't let up in the top of the seventh inning after they got the first two runners on base to begin the frame. Matt Hardy then got an RBI single and Nathan Webb hit a double to left center field that scored another run, before Dylan Orick had a sacrifice fly to right field.

Lyons reaffirmed his dominance, mowing down the Spartans 1-2-3 in the seventh. He started to get a little tired come the eighth, allowing a leadoff double and then a RBI single with one out, so he was taken out having thrown 101 pitches.

The Highlanders poured on four more runs in the eighth inning thanks in part to three walks and two hit by pitches.

Four Highlanders had multiple hits, including Connor Cannon, who went 2-for-4 on the day from the cleanup spot.

The series concludes on Sunday with Jeremiah Priddy taking the hill for the Highlanders.