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Box
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Senior
Aaron Wible kept UCR in second place in the conference
standings with a walk-off homer on Sunday.
(Photo
by UCR Media Relations) |
(May
11, 2008) - Aaron Wible’s walk-off blast gave UCR a
7-6 series-clinching win over UC Davis (30-19, 10-8 Big West)
at the Riverside Sports Complex Sunday afternoon. The Highlanders
(18-27, 12-6 Big West) have won six of their last seven conference
games and finish the weekend in sole possession of second
place for the second straight week.
Wible
finished 2-for-5 with three RBI, scored two runs, and picked
up his second walk-off hit of the season after is two-out
ninth inning single beat Cal State Northridge on April 27th.
Joey Gonzales also continued to pound the baseball, extending
his hitting-streak to 10 games after recording three hits
and also scored two runs.
The
Highlanders brought a run across in the first inning for the
third consecutive game, using a Drew Garcia sacrifice fly
to score Gonzales who had tripled one batter earlier. UCR
then took advantage of two Aggie errors in third, scoring
two runs after UCD catcher Jake Jefferies’ throw sailed
into center as Garcia stole second. The mistake allowed Trevor
Hairgrove to score from third and put UCR up 3-0.
After
limiting the top offense in the Big West to just one hit in
the first three innings, Highlander starter Paul Bargas hit
a little bump in the road, allowing one run in the fourth
and a run in the sixth to see the lead slip to 3-2. Bargas
kept his pitch count down, finishing with just 65 pitchers
including 14 first-pitch strikes and not walking a batter.
He allowed just six hits in his 6.1 innings but the last came
off the bat of Jefferies who knotted the game at 3-3 with
a solo homer off of Bargas in the seventh.
UCR
came right back, building a 6-3 lead with three runs in their
half of the seventh. With one out and runners on first and
second, Davis went to their bullpen, bringing in Andy Suiter
to relieve starter Bryan Evans. The left-handed throwing Suiter’s
1-1 pitch to Highlander clean up hitter Wible was lined into
the left center gap for double, scoring both runners to give
UCR a 5-3 lead. Ryan Goetz followed with a single to right,
bringing around Wible for the third run of the inning.
The
Aggies fought back with two runs in the eighth off of reliever
Rob Waite. After Stephen Penney got the Highlanders out of
further damage with by a getting a sacrifice fly and a line
out to Wible at first base. Davis continued to get swings
off the Highlander pen, as Kyle Mihaylo tied the game at 6-6
with a line-drive solo homer to left off of UCR closer Joe
Kelly.
That
set the stage for Wible’s game-winner in the ninth.
After Gonzales flied out, Wible hammered UCD reliever Jeremy
McChesney’s 1-0 pitch over the left center field wall
to pick up the 7-6 win.
Kelly
(2-0) earned the win despite allowing the run in the ninth
and McChesney (2-2) took the loss.
Goetz
and Hairgrove each picked up two hits for the Highlanders
who host UNLV on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. and USC on Wednesday
at 5:00 p.m..
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