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(March
28, 2008) - UC Riverside dropped a 7-6 decision to the 21st
ranked Cal State Fullerton Titans in a game that went 16 innings
Friday night. The game is the longest in UCR Division I school-history
and the longest played since the longest game in UCR history
went 18 innings against Chapman back in 1979. The Titans (14-8,
1-0 Big West) rallied with five runs in the ninth to send
the game into extra innings. The Highlanders fall to 6-13
overall and 0-1 in the Big West.
The
UCR offense jumped on Titan starter Jeff Kaplan, scoring runs
in the each of the first three innings. Junior Drew Garcia
doubled home sophomore right fielder Joey Gonzales in first
and junior centerfielder Carl Uhl brought freshman catcher
Daniel Pellegrino home with a double in the second. The Highlanders
continued to get swings as Garcia and sophomore first baseman
Ryan Goetz both singled to start off the third and set up
first and second for senior left fielder Aaron Wible. After
taking a strike and then fouling off a bunt attempt, Wible
hammered a Kaplan 1-2 pitch high over the left field fence
for a three-run shot to put UCR up 5-0.
Penny
continued to keep the Titan attack off balance, limiting CSF
to just three hits though the first four innings. Fullerton
took advantage of a Penney mistake in the fifth, scoring a
run after Penney threw wide of first base in a pick-off attempt.
The errant throw allowed the Titan runner at third to come
across and also moved the runner at first up to second. Penney
took care of the next two hitters to escape further damage
and keep the Highlander lead at 5-1 through five.
Gonzales
put UCR up 6-1 with a solo blast over the right field fence
with one out in the seventh for his first homer of the season.
After allowing the run in the fifth, Penney went right back
to dominating the Titan lineup, not allowing a base runner
past second over the next three innings. After allowing back-to-back
one out singles to Fullerton, Penney gave way to sophomore
pre-season All-American closer Joe Kelly who was making just
his third appearance of the season. The first batter Kelly
faced was titan pinch-hitter Kris Davis who smacked a three-run
shot over the right centerfield fence to cut the Highlander
lead to 6-4. The next two hitters the n reached on singles
before Erik Kamatsu tripled down the right field line, bringing
home two runs that tied the game at 6-6.
Neither
team could get a runner past second base until Kamatsu tripled
with one out in the 16th, UCR intentionally walked the next
two batters to set up a force out. Chris Jones then capped
the longest game in the history of Goodwin field with a sacrifice
fly to left that brought home the game-winner. The game took
4 hours and 57 minutes and is the second longest, in time,
in school history.
Penney
suffered a no decision after shutting down the Titan offense
throughout the night, allowing three runs, two of which that
came around on the home run in the ninth, and striking out
six in a career-high 8.1 innings.
Pellegrino
led the way with three hits and Gonzales scored two runs.
UCR
and Cal State Fullerton turn right back around and continue
their series on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.
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