Baseball
Carlos Puma
4
Winner UC Riverside UCR 8-16, 1-1 BWC
3
UC Davis UCD 7-12, 1-1 BWC
Winner
UC Riverside UCR
8-16, 1-1 BWC
4
Final
3
UC Davis UCD
7-12, 1-1 BWC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
UC Riverside UCR 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 4 9 2
UC Davis UCD 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 7 1

W: Haffar, Abbott (1-1) L: Lyford, C. (1-3)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Haffar Leads Baseball to First Big West Win

DAVIS, Calif. – Sophomore Abbott Haffar pitched an absolute gem today to lead the Highlanders to their first Big West conference win of the season defeating UC Davis 4-3.
 
The Highlanders weren't finding much luck at the plate through the first five innings with Haffar keeping them in the game. Through five, Haffar had four strikeouts and given up two unearned runs.
 
With the Highlanders trailing 0-2 going into the top of the sixth, senior Dean Miller stepped up to the plate with sophomore Nathan Webb on first after a lead-off walk. The senior tore the seams off the ball and sent it packing out of the park to tie the game up at 2-2. This momentum was all Haffar needed to shut down the home team Aggies.
 
Haffar threw a seven-pitch 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half of the sixth and then a six-pitch 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh to hold the tie.
 
In the top of the eighth, UC Riverside felt it was time to start giving Haffar some additional run support. Webb led off with a homerun to give the Highlanders their first lead of the game, 3-2. Miller then singled to center and was followed by fellow senior, Yeager Taylor, who doubled to right field. With runners on first and third, Miller scored a big insurance run for the Highlanders on a wild pitch by Chase Lyford of the Aggies.
 
Haffar was still feeling it as he faced four batters in the bottom of the eighth and retiring three of them leaving one Aggie stranded.
 
The bottom of the ninth got a little nerve-racking after a one-out solo homerun by the Aggies cut the lead to 4-3. Haffar retired the next batter and then allowed a two-out single. Senior Jared Noonan came in and put the nail in the coffin as he only needed one pitch to draw a fly out to center to end the game.
 
In his first start of the season, Haffar went 8 2/3 innings allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts and a walk. The sophomore didn't allow his only earned run until the solo shot in the bottom of the ninth. He lowered his ERA to 2.76.
 
Webb finished two for three with a homerun and a walk, Miller also had two hits including the game-tying homerun. Webb and Miller scored all four Highlander runs (two each). Travis Bohall had a single and stolen base for Riverside.
 
The Highlanders look to build off of Haffar's pitching momentum tomorrow to take the rubber match. The game is tomorrow at UC Davis, Sunday March 31st at 1:00pm.