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| Senior
Aaron Wible drove home the game-winner with a two-out
two-run double in the seventh. |
(April
5, 2008) - UC Riverside used a four-run seventh inning to
pick up a 6-4 win over ninth ranked Long Beach State at the
Riverside Sports Complex Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Ryan
Goetz singled home the tying runs with two outs in seventh
and senior Aaron
Wible followed Goetz with a go-ahead two-run double for
the Highlanders (8-16, 2-3 Big West).
UCR received three-hit efforts Goetz and junior Carl
Uhl as the team banged out 14 hits in the win. Freshman
starting pitcher Matt
Larkins improved to 4-1 after he battled against a tough
LBSU lineup throughout the afternoon, allowing just three
earned runs and striking out four in his 7.2 innings of work.
The Highlanders took a 1-0 lead in the first on a RBI single
from junior
Drew Garcia. The 49ers (18-10, 1-1 Big West) answered
with a run in the second but UCR came right back with a run
in their half. Uhl singled home junior Brandon
Schnebly to regain the lead at 2-1.
The lead would not hold for long as LBSU picked up three runs
on two hits and used a Highlander error in the third inning
to take a 4-2 lead. Both starting pitchers settled in and
combined to keep the game scoreless over the next four-plus
innings until UCR came to bat in the seventh.
Schnebly picked up his second hit of the day with single to
right to lead off the inning. The 49er defense failed to record
an out on the next play after the LBSU second baseman that
was coming over to cover first base on bunt, collided with
the umpire, allowing freshman Trevor
Hairgrove to reach safely and set up first and second
for the top of the lineup. Uhl followed with a single through
the left side that chased Long Beach State starter Vance Johnson
and load the bases.
49er releiver Jason Markovitz came in with the bases full
of Highlanders and nobody out. Markovitz made some good pitches
to strike out sophomore Joey
Gonzales and Garcia but couldn’t get the third out.
Goetz then singled sharply up the middle to bring home Schnebly
and Harigrove to tie the game at 4-4. After Goetz stole second,
Wible jumped on a 2-2 pitch from new reliever David Roberts,
lining a two-run double into the left center gap to give UCR
a 6-4 lead.
Larkins got the first two hitters to start the eighth, then
gave up a single and walk before giving away to junior reliever
Rob
Waite. Waite ended the LBSU threat by getting the next
batter to fly out to left. In the ninth, sophomore closer
Joe
Kelly used a spectacular diving catch by Uhl for the second
out and then enduced the next batter to fly out to right to
pick up his first save of the season.
The two teams return tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. to finish off their
three-game series, which is tied at 1-1.
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