RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Lucas Bonham's two home run day lifted UC Riverside to an 11-5 win over Cal State Bakersfield in the first of three this weekend.
Joshua Torres earned his first win of the season and Halen Guerrero his first save in the process.
Torres, came into the game on a roll. After a solid outing against Long Beach State last Friday where the righty set career highs in innings and strikeouts he followed up with another quality start. He went six innings giving up three runs, one earned, en route to the win. The Roadrunners' first two runs scored on an error and a base hit getting them back into the game as UCR held a 4-2 lead. CSUB pulled within one in the top of the seventh on a ground out.Â
The Highlanders got things started in the first when
Lucas Bonham clubbed the first of his two homers going the opposite way over the right field wall making it 2-0. Two more Highlander runs came across in the bottom of the fourth on a
Miles Scott single and a balk call, which scored
Andrew Rivas.Â
Bonham then blasted a three run homer in the bottom of the seventh over the center field wall making it 8-3. For Bonham it was his team leading ninth homer and his 27th RBI of the season. His nine homers puts him amongst The Big West Conference leaders. His five RBI on the day made him the second Highlander this season to accomplish that feat.
It turned out that UCR needed those runs as CSUB slowly got back into it making things interesting. In the top of the eighth the Roadrunners pushed two more across and the game tightened up, 8-5.Â
In the home half of the frame UCR got those three runs back making taking an 11-5 lead.
Tyler Gordon's double scored the first two runs and the third run scored on a single by
David Whittle. Guerrero finished the game to earn the save. With the win the Highlanders pull to 9-10 in conference as they make a push for the final playoff spot in The Big West Conference Tournament in May. They still have work to do and will need some help, but they are playing well and there is a lot of baseball left.Â
Game two is tomorrow afternoon at 1PM.