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(May 2, 2003) - The UC Riverside
Highlanders jumped all over prized prospect Wes Littleton
while Highlander starter Jaymie Torres survived 14 Titan hits
en route to a 13-3 upset of the No. 1 Ranked Cal State Fullerton
Titans at the UC Riverside Baseball complex.
The unranked UC Riverside
Highlanders improved to 34-12, 9-4 and now trail the No. 1
Cal State Fullerton Titans (38-9, 11-2) by just two games
as the series resumes tomorrow.
Brian Wahlbrink set the
tone early as he legged out a double on a high chopper that
got over the head of Titan third baseman Ronnie Prettyman,
and later scoring on a two-out RBI single by Randy Blood.
UCR then took advantage
of two Titan errors in the third, batting around for five
runs and a 6-0 lead. Ryan Harvey reached on an error with
one out, Tony Festa followed with a single and Kevin Mangles
hit an RBI grounder for a 2-0 lead.Then Fullerton fell apart,
Littleton walked Blood , Jason Collette reached on an error
to load the bases and Matt Cunningham was hit-by-a-pitch to
force home a run. Brian Emmons had a two-run single and Scot
Powis followed with a run scoring single pushing the Highlander
lead tosix.
Littleton (6-2) came out
to the mound for the fourth, and following a hit batter, a
walk and a wild pitch, Blood sent the Titan ace to the showers
with his two-run single and 9-0 Highlander lead.
Torres (9-1) kept escaping
jams, surrendering 14 hits in going the distance, striking
out five to pick up his ninth win of the season.
Emmons led the Highlanders,
going 3-for-4 with four RBI and Randy Blood went 3-for-4 with
three RBI to pace the Highlanders.
The two teams return to
battle tomorrow night, as the Highlanders send AJ Shappi to
the hill to face the Titans Chad Cordero. First pitch is slated
for 6 PM.
(May 2, 2003) -Brian Wahlbrink
hit a leadoff homerun that stood as the difference as AJ Shappi
and Chad Decker combined for nine solid innings of work, holding
on for a 4-3 victory over No. 1 Cal State Fullerton at the
UCR Baseball complex on Saturday.
With the win UCR improves
to 35-12, 10-4 in the Big West, a game behind Fullerton (11-3,
38-10) and Long Beach State (11-3, 31-14) for first place
in the Big West Conference.
Wahlbrink, who sparked the
Highlanders' 13-3 win yesterday with a leadoff double, smashed
an offering from Titan starter Jason Windsor (7-2) into the
netting in left field, putting UCR up 1-0.
The Highlanders padded the
lead in the second on a Brian Emmons double and took a 3-0
lead in the fourth as Matt Cunningham tripled down the right
field line and scored on a wild pitch.
But the Titans chipped away
at the lead, scoring a run in the sixth on a Richie Burgos
one out RBI single to pull within 3-1. The Highlander regained
their three run cushion in the bottom half, as Wahlbrink singled
home Brian Emmons for a 4-1 lead.
The Titans would claw back
in the seventh as Jason Corapaci doubled to center with one
out and moved to third on a passed ball. Ronnie Prettyman
lifted a fly to right field, scoring Corapaci to bring Fullerton
within two. Shappi then surrendered three consecutive two-out
singles allowing Fullerton to pull within a run at 4-3.
UCR Head Coach Jack Smitheran
had seen enough and pulled Shappi after 6.2 solid innings,
bringing in Decker with the tying run on third and the go
ahead run on first. The move paid off, as Decker fanned Joe
Turgeon to retire the side.
The Titans made it interesting
in the ninth as All-American candidate Shane Costa smashed
a double to right field with one out. But Decker struck out
Kyle Boyer and then induced Burgos to ground out to short
to record his first collegiate save.
Shappi earned his tenth
win of the season, going 6.2 innings, surrendering three runs
on nine hits and striking out six. Decker finished off the
Titans, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and
striking out five. Wahlbrink was the hitting star, going 2-for-4
with a run and two RBI.
The two teams conclude their
series tomorrow at the Riverside Sports Complex. First pitch
is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
(May 4, 2003) - Senior Julio
Fernandez pitched a complete game eight hitter and Randy Blood's
two run homer in the fourth proved to be the difference as
the UC Riverside Highlanders completed a three-game sweep
of the No. 1 ranked Cal State Fullerton Titans with a 5-1
win in front of 825 fans at the Riverside Sports Complex Sunday.
The win, combined with a
Long Beach State win over UOP, moves the Highlanders into
sole possession of second place in the Big West, one game
behind the 49ers and into a tie with the Titans (with UCR
holding the tiebreaker). The sweep marked the first time the
Titans have lost three in a row or a series this season. It
also almost guarantees the Titans will fall from the top spot
in the polls, while almost cementing the Highlanders' second
appearance in the polls.
Fernandez (4-2) allowed
eight hits and one earned run, while walking two and striking
out seven. The Titans' Dustin Miller took the loss, falling
to 7-2 after allowing six hits and four earned runs in 6.1
innings.
Fullerton jumped on the
board in the first as Ronnie Prettyman doubled to lead off
the game and came home on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Boyer.
The Highlanders' Randy Blood
gave UCR the lead in the fourth with a towering two-run homer
off of Miller that hit off the scoreboard screen in right
center field, scoring Festa who had walked to lead off the
inning.
The Highlanders dodged a
bullet in the top of the sixth as the Titans put two runners
on for Boyer. Boyer launched a towering drive to left field,
but left fielder Matt Cunningham caught the ball near the
380 foot sign in left center for the final out of the inning.
The wind, blowing from left to right, might have helped keep
the ball in the ball park.
UCR got two insurance runs
in the seventh as Brian Emmons singled with one out, then
came around as Scott Powis doubled, scoring when left fielder
Joe Turgeon misplayed the ball for an error. Moments later
Ryan Harvey stroked a single to center off of reliever Sean
Martin to score Powis for a 4-1 lead.
UCR added to the lead in
the eighth of of All-American candidate Chad Cordero. Blood
was walked by Travis Ingle, and Coredero relieved, retiring
Jason Collette on a sacrifice bunt. Following a Matt Cunningham
flyout, Emmons was intentially walked. Powis made the decision
backfire as he rifled a single through the left side to score
Blood for a 5-1 lead.
The Highlanders take to
the road Tuesday to play San Diego State in their final non-conference
game of the season. First pitch is at 6:00 PM. Fullerton plays
USC at Edison International Field on Monday at 7:00 PM.
(May 5, 2003) - The honors
and acknowledgements following the biggest weekend in the
Division I era of UCR baseball came rolling in Monday as the
Highlanders received a pair of Big West honors and were ranked
in three different polls.
Coming off of a three game
sweep of the then No. 1 Cal State Fullerton Titans, the Highlanders
(36-12, 11-4 in the Big West) cracked the top-25 in three
different polls. UCR was voted No. 21 by Collegiate Baseball,
No. 23 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll and No. 18 by Baseball
America. The rankings mark the second time this season that
the Highlanders have made a poll, as they were picked 35th
in the National College Baseball Writers' Association poll
on March 31, 2003. However, the position was short lived as
UCR posted a 1-3 record the next week to fall out of the spot.
UCR had been listed among “others receiving votes”
in polls the previous two weeks.
Monday afternoon the Highlanders
received a pair of individual honors as senior pitcher Julio
Fernandez was named Big West Pitcher of the Week and senior
shortstop Randy Blood was named Big West Player of the Week.
It marked the first time this season that one school has had
the outright winners of player and pitcher of the week. (Fullerton
and LBSU have also had players win player and pitcher of the
week, but in both instances one of the awards was shared).
Blood (Costa Mesa, Calif.)
batted .571 (8-for-14) with six runs and five RBI, including
a double, triple and home run. On the field, he handled 25
of 26 chances errorless, turning a pair of double plays in
the process.
Against the Titans Blood
led the charge in game one, going 3-for-4 with three runs
scored and three RBI, including a triple. In game three, the
Highlander infielder helped secure the sweep, going 2-for-3
with two runs and two RBI, including a two-run homer.
Fernandez (Ontario, Calif.) was selected Big West Pitcher
of the Week after defeating Cal State Fullerton to complete
UCR’s sweep. The Highlander hurler had his best career
outing, pitching a complete game in which he allowed just
one run on eight hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Fernandez allowed the run in the first inning and was in control
the rest of the way. The UCR righty joins A.J. Shappi and
Jaymie Torres on the list of Highlander pitchers to garner
Big West Pitcher of the Week honors this season.
(May 6, 2003) -San Diego
- UC Riverside scored 10 runs over the first three innings
and San Diego State was unable to catch up as the Highlanders
defeated SDSU, 15-12, Tuesday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
The win was the Highlanders' fifth in a row and marked a sweep
of the two game series with the Aztecs.
UCR improved to 37-12 on
the season while the Aztecs fell to 22-28.
The Highlanders jumped
on Aztec senior starter Ben Leuthard (0-2) for five runs in
1.1 innings. Among the big hits for the Highlanders during
their early scoring run was a two-run single by Tony Festa
in the second, a two-run double by Randy Blood and two-run
homer by Brian Emmons in the five-run third inning. Festa
finished the game with four RBI, while Emmons added three.
UCR freshman Haley Winter,
making his first career start, pitched well. He allowed four
hits and four earned runs in three innings of work, with all
the tallies coming after UCR had staked him to a 10-0 lead.
The teams traded runs the
remainder of the evening with the Aztecs unable to get closer
than three. Jose Shaw, John Martinez, Dan Ellis, Chad Decker,
Rich Hofman and Brian Hoff all got work for the Highlanders
The Highlanders top two
batters, Ryan Harvey and Brian Wahlbrink each went 4-for-4,
with Harvey scoring four tiems and adding a pair of walks
while Wahlbrink scored three times.
Ellis, the fourth of seven
hurlers used by the Highlanders, picked up the win in middle
relief to improve to 3-1. Hoff tossed a perfect 1.1 innings
to finish out the game and record his first save.
(May 8, 2003) - UC Riverside
sophomore pitcher AJ Shappi has been named a CoSIDA District
VIII Academic All-American. He will now go on to the national
ballot.
Shappi, who is a junior
academically, has a 3.76 GPA in chemistry. He was one of two
pitchers voted in by members of the Collegiate Sports Information
Directors of America. The District VIII region includes California,
Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada and Idaho
as well as the British Columbia province.
On the field Shappi is among
the top pitchers in the nation with a 10-1 record with a 3.03
ERA.
(May 9, 2003) - Long Beach
- The No. 3 ranked Long Beach State 49ers continued their
success in Big West play and sophomore hurler Abe Alvarez
(10-0) remained perfect for the 2003 season as they defeated
the visiting No. 18 ranked UC Riverside Highlanders, 9-4,
at Blair Field Friday.
Long Beach State moved to
34-14 overall and 13-3 in the Big West while UCR fell to 37-13
and 11-6 in conference.
LBSU shortstop Troy Tulowitzki's
third inning grand slam off of UCR starter and loser Jaymie
Torres (9-2) built the 49er lead to 7-0. Tulowitzki had five
RBI on the day.
The Highlanders cut the
lead to 7-3 in the sixth, putting together three straight
extra base hits. Randy Blood's RBI triple, followed by Jason
Collette's RBI double and Matt Cunningham's triple gave got
UCR on the board, but the Highlanders could not continue the
rally. Ryan Harvey crushed a solo homer in the seventh to
account for the remainder of the UCR scoring.
The three-game series continues
with a game on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.and on Sunday at 1 p.m.
(May 10, 2003) - Long Beach
- The No. 3 ranked Long Beach State 49ers handed the UC Riverside
Highlanders their second consecutive loss with a 6-2 triumph
at Blair Field Saturday.
Long Beach State moved to
35-14 overall and 14-3 in the Big West while UCR fell to 37-14
and 11-7 in conference.
Things started off well
for UCR as Brian Wahlbrink slugged his team-best 11th homer
of the season off of LBSU starter Jered Weaver (11-3). But
Weaver settled down, allowing just three more hits while striking
out 13 over 7.1 innings of work.
Meanwhile, the 49ers hit
UCR starter AJ Shappi for 12 hits and five earned run in five
innings of worked. Chad Decker and Haley Winter combined to
shutout LBSU over the final three innnings. Shappi was handed
his second loss of the season against 10 wins.
The three-game series continues
with a game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
(May 11, 2003) -LONG BEACH,
CA-- No. 3-ranked Long Beach State 49ers swept a three game
series from the visiting UC Riverside Highlanders with an
8-3 win at Blair Field in Long Beach.
The 49ers (36-14, 15-3 Big
West) tied an NCAA record by recording seven double plays,
tying a mark set last by Old Dominion versus Western Kentucky
on May 14, 1985. The Highlanders fell to (37-15, 11-7 Big
West) and were eliminated from the race for first place in
the Big West.
The Highlanders scored first,
tallying a pair of unearned runs in the first on a RBI groundout
by Jason Collette and a bases loaded walk to Brian Emmons,
but the 49ers answered back with six runs, four in the second
and two in the third Troy Tulowitzki's second homer of the
series that made it 6-2.
Cesar Ramos (5-4) battled
6.0 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on 10 hits,
as the 49er defense rolled out five double plays over the
first five innings. UCR starter Julio Fernandez (4-3), lasted
3.0 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits. Brian Hoff
pitched the next 4.0 innings, giving up two unearned runs
in the fifth on five hits.
The Highlanders return home
for their final series of the year, hosting UC Irvine in a
three game series beginning Friday.
(May 16, 2003) - No. 22-ranked
UC Riverside Highlanders won their 38th game of the season
and clinched at least third place in the Big West with a 5-1
win over the visiting UC Irvine Anteaters at the Riverside
Sports Complex Friday.
Junior righthander Jaymie
Torres moved to 10-2 with the win, throwing 7.1 innings allowing
eight hits and one walk, while striking out six. Brian Hoff
earned his second save with 1.2 innings of work, striking
out two. Irvine's Brett Smith took the loss, allowing nine
hits and two earned runs in seven innings of work.
The Highlanders got on the
board first with a pair of runs in the second inning. Leftfielder
Aaron Grant walked with one out and catcher Brian Emmons followed
with a single to right field. Both runners then advanced as
right fielder Gary Dudrey's throw went through both the second
and third basemen for an error. Scott Powis followed with
a looping liner to left that chased home both runs.
The Anteaters scored in
the fifth as centerfielder Jon Horowitz led off with a single
and moved to second on a bunt by second baseman Matt Fisher.
The runners advanced on a sacrifice and Horowitz came home
on a groundout by Dudrey.
UCR added to the lead in
the seventh as Matt Lawson doubled with two outs and came
home moments later on a seeing eye single through the left
side by Tony Festa.
The Anteaters rallied in
the top of the seventh, loading the bases against Torres with
one out. Brian Hoff was summoned to relief Torres and struck
out Horowitz looking for the second out. Fischer then hit
a chopper into the hole between third and short, where Festa
picked the ball and threw to second for the force out to end
the inning.
The Highlanders got a pair
of insurance runs in the top of the eighth as Brian Emmons
smashed a towering two-run homer to left off of reliever Michael
Kohler.
The series continues on
Saturday at 6:00 PM.
(May 17, 2003) - Tony Festa
scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the
seventh as the UC Riverside baseball team squeaked out a 2-1
victory over the visiting UC Irvine Anteaters Saturday at
the UC Riverside Sports Complex.
With the win UC Riverside
improved to 39-15, 13-7, and UC Irvine falls to 20-34, 8-12.
Festa started the rally
in the bottom of the seventh, taking first after being hit
by a pitch. Kevin Mangles followed with a single with both
runners advancing on a sacrifice bunt by Randy Blood. After
a Brian Emmons’ strike out, pitcher Steve Schrorer,
who relived Irving starter Glenn Swanson, uncorked a wild
pitch scoring Festa to give UCR a 2-1 lead.
A.J. Shappi (11-2) won
the pitching duel and collected his 11th win of the season
as he pitched a complete game, allowing one run on five hits.
Swanson (2-9) took the loss for Irvine as he allowed two runs
-one earned- on three hits in 6.1 innings of work.
The Highlanders scored
the first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth as Andy
Clay’s RBI single to right scored Kevin Mangels, who
had singled, to give UCR a 1-0 advantage.
Irvine scored their only
run of the game in the top of the seventh as Jon Horwitz’
sacrifice fly to left scored Chris Klemm, who had singled,
to even things up at one run a piece.
Mangles led the Highlanders
in hitting going two-for-three, with one run scored.
UCR will be back in action
Sunday at the UC Riverside Sports Complex, as they will close
out a three game series with UCI. Game time is set for 1:00
PM.
(May 18, 2003) - Senior
Julio Fernandez, making his final home appearance as a Highlander,
allowed seven hits and two earned runs in six innings of work
as the UC Riverside Highlanders closed out the regular season
with a three game sweep of the visiting UC Irvine Anteaters,
winning 6-4 in front of 425 fans at the Riverside Sports Complex
Sunday.
The win was the Highlanders
40th of the year. UCR finished the regular season at 40-15
overall, 14-7 in the Big West. UCI, with one game remaining,
is 20-35 overall and 8-13 in the Big West. Julio Fernandez
got the win, moving to 5-3 on the season, while Paul French
took the loss for UCI. The Anteaters used seven pitchers on
the afternoon.
Irvine struck first in the
fourth as Mark Wagner hammered his second homer of the year
off of Fernandez.The Highlanders answered back in the bottom
of the inning with a single run as third baseman Tony Festa
walked and rode home on a line drive double down the right
field line by first baseman Kevin Mangels.
UCR struck for three runs
in the sixth. Festa singled with one out and Mangels followed
with a walk. One out later designated hitter Jason Collette
followed with an RBI single to left to score Festa. Left fielder
Aaron Grant followed with a booming RBI double to chase home
two runs and give the Highlanders a 3-1 lead.
UCI cut it to 3-2 in the
seventh as third baseman Brett Dalton singled home centerfielder
Jon Horowitz, who led off with a single. The run chased Fernandez,
as Head Coach Jack Smitheran brought in Haley Winter, who
closed out the inning with a strikeout and a groundout.
UCR added two runs in the
seventh against four Anteater hurlers. Centerfielder Brian
Wahlbrink doubled and Lawson singled with one out off of reliever
Steve Schroer. Reliever Phil Tripoli walked Festa and was
promptly replaced by Chris Nicoll, who induced Mangels to
hit into a fielders choice that retired Wahlbrink at home.
Ryan Edell then relieved Nicoll and committed a balk while
facing shortstop Randy Blood, scoring Lawson. Blood then singled
to plate Festa for a 6-2 UCR lead.
The Anteaters rallied in
the top of the eighth off of Winter. Matt Fisher singled to
second, then advanced as Scott Powis' throw to first went
into the dugout for an error.One out later Jose Shaw relieved
Winter and surrendered an RBI single to Matt Falk. Shaw retired
Mark Wagner for the second out of the inning, but then surrendered
a triple to pinch hitter Jordan Szabo to cut the lead to 6-4.
Brian Hoff then relieved and got a groundout by Brett Dalton
to end the inning.
Hoff retired the side in
order in the ninth for his third save of the year, striking
out pinch hitter Gregg Wallis, much to the delight of the
raucous Highlander fans.
(May 20, 2003) - Nine members
of the UC Riverside baseball team were named to the All-Big
West Baseball team, the conference office announced Tuesday.
The Highlanders led all schools in the Big West with six first
team honorees. The honorees from UCR and their key statistics
are:
First Team:
1B- Kevin Mangels • .319, 10 HR, 49 RBI
3B- Tony Festa • .343, 14 doubles, 5 HR, 54 R, 51 RBI
SS- Randy Blood • .376, 17 doubles, 43 R, 50 RBI
OF- Ryan Harvey • .409, 11 doubles, 8 HR, 63 R, 39 RBI
OF- Brian Wahlbrink • .373, 18 doubles, 11 HR, 66 R,
39 RBI
P - Jaymie Torres • 10-2, 3.36 ERA, 23 BB, 74 K 107
IP, 107 H
Second Team:
C - Brian Emmons • .319, 8 doubles, 7 HR, 33 R, 36 RBI
P- A.J. Shappi • 11-2, 3.14 ERA, 28 BB, 89 K, 106 IP,
88 H
Honorable Mention
OF- Matt Cunningham • .353, 11 doubles, 5 triples, 5
HR, 41 RBI
(May 25, 2003) - The UC
Riverside Baseball team became the first team of the Division
I era to be invited an NCAA postseason appearance when they
were selected to play in the NCAA Baseball Regional at Stanford
University in Palo Alto. The tournament begins on Friday,
May 30th.
The No. 3 Highlanders (40-15)
will play the No. 2 seeded Richmond Spiders (46-13) in the
opening round game, then will go on to play either host Stanford
(41-15) or No. 4 Illinois-Chicago (39-16).
"We really didn't care
where we were going, but I can't think of a better place than
Stanford, and now we have the opportunity to play there,"
UCR Head Coach Jack Smitheran said. "I know it is going
to be a challenge, but everyone is in the same boat. We just
have to sit down and put a game plan together and just let
these kids play. They are the ones that got us here, and they
will be the ones to get us through this particular tournament."
"The bottom line is
that these kids are ready to play and they are going to go
out there and play great baseball," he added.
The selection show on ESPN
2 was viewed by team members, coaches and administrators at
Tremors Grill in Riverside. When the UC Riverside name was
shown on the screen, the room erupted in cheers.
The tournament bracket can
be viewed here.
(Requires Adobe Acrobat.)
(May 30, 2003) -Palo Alto,
CA - The UC Riverside Highlanders (41-15) scored 10 unanswered
runs to rally back from a 4-0 fourth inning defecit, then
held off a late rally to pull off a 10-8
win over the University of Richmond Spiders (46-14) in the
first game of the NCAA Regional Baseball Tournament in front
of 862 fans at Stanford Friday.
The Highlanders meet the winner of the Stanford vs. Illinois-Chicago
game at 3 PM Saturday.
Freshman southpaw Chad Decker (4-0) got the win for the Highlanders,
allowing three hits and two runs in 4.2 innings of relief
of junior starter Jaymie Torres. Torres allowed four runs
on nine hits in 3.1 innings of work.
The Highlanders mounted their comeback against one of the
top pitchers in the nation, University of Richmond All-American
hurler Tim Stauffer (9-5), who is expected to be one of the
first two pitchers taken in the Major League Draft next week.
The Highlanders trailed 4-2 entering the top of the eighth
inning when junior designated hitter Jason Collette led off
the inning with a line drive homer, his fifth, over the left
field wall off of Stauffer to make the score 4-3 in favor
of the Spiders. One out later senior catcher Brian Emmons
hit a grasscutter that snuck under the glove of shortstop
David Reaver for an error. Junior second baseman Scott Powis
struck out, but senior centerfielder Brian Wahlbrink followed
with a towering homer, his team-leading 12th, over the scoreboard
in left field to give UCR a 5-4 lead.
"It was a change-up or an off speed, and he kind of left it
up," Wahlbrink said. "I was swinging for the fences 3-1, but
fouled it back, and I was just trying to battle on 3-2."
Prior to the inning, Stauffer had allowed just three homers
all season.
But the Highlanders were far from done. In the ninth junior
third baseman Tony Festa led off with a single against reliever
Matt McGloughlin and was sacrificed to second by Mangels.
Senior shortstop Randy Blood followed with a single to right
to score Festa. Collette followed with a single to right center,
sending Blood to third. The senior came home moments later
as right fielder John Cronin's throw got away from the cutoff
man for an error. After a walk by sophomore left fielder Matt
Cunningham, Nate Kuchta came in to relieve McLoughlin. Emmons
was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Powis cleared them
with a triple to the gap in right center, making the score
10-4.
The Spiders scored twice in the bottom of the ninth off of
a tiring Decker as Jim Fasano cranked a two-run homer to left.
Brian Hoff relieved and got two quick outs, but struggled
to find the third out. He had two-strike counts on the final
four batters but allowed a walk, double, single and double
to make the score 10-8 with the go-ahead run at the plate.
But Hoff retired center fielder Brett Pritz on a fly ball
to right field to end the ball game.
The Spiders got to Torres for single runs in the second and
third and for two in the fourth before he was lifted. At 3.1
innings, it was Torres' shortest non-scheduled start of the
season.
Stauffer was cruising early, striking out eight in the first
four innings before the Highlanders broke through. Powis walked,
then went to second on a single by Wahlbrink. Harvey hit a
groundball to short that retired Wahlbrink, but second baseman
Bobby LeNoir's relay throw got away from first baseman Fasano,
allowing Powis to come home with the first run.
UCR scored again in the sixth as Cunningham singled with one
out, then went to third on a booming double to right by Emmons.
Powis chased Cunningham home with a sacrifice fly to cut the
lead to 4-2.
(May 31, 2003) -Palo Alto,
CA - The UC Riverside Highlanders baseball team's outstanding
season came to an end Saturday evening as they fell to the
University of Richmond Spiders in an elimination game, 8-1
at Stanford's Sunken Diamond in Palo Alto. The Highlanders
finish the season at 41-17 overall.
The Highlanders dropped into the losers' bracket by falling
to host Stanford in the second game of the day, 13-6, as UCR
starter A.J. Shappi was hit hard by the host Cardinal, who
overcame a three-run deficit with three runs in the fourth
and four in the fifth.
UCR senior starter Julio Fernandez (5-4) allowed 11 hits and
seven earned runs in 5.1 innings of work, earning the loss
in his final career appearance for the Highlanders.
The Spiders scored four times in the first, once in the fourth,
twice in the sixth and once in the eighth. The Highlanders
got a single run in the first on a Brian Wahlbrink double
and an RBI groundout by Tony Festa. The Highlanders had five
hits on the evening off of starter Jason Bolinski, who moved
to 10-1 with the complete game win.
In the first game, the host Cardinal scored three times in
the fourth and four times in the fifth to turn a 4-1 UCR lead
into an 8-5 deficit. Trailing 5-4, Cardinal center fielder
Sam Fuld led off with a double, was sacrificed to second and
came home on a two-out double by Ryan Garko to tie the score.
Moments later left fielder Danny Putnam homered to right center
for a 7-5 lead, and designated hitter Chris Carter followed
with a solo shot to right for an 8-5 lead.
The Highlanders added a solo shot by Ryan Harvey to cut the
lead to 8-6, but Stanford tacked on three insurance runs in
the top of the eighth and two in the ninth to build a 13-6
lead.
Shappi (11-3) took the loss for UCR, allowing 12 hits and
10 earned runs in 7.0 innings, and absorbed some of the runs
to take a load off of the Highlander bullpen in anticipation
of needing it in upcoming games. Stanford's John Hudgins got
the win, allowing eight hits and six earned runs, striking
out 12.
After the Cardinal scored once in the top of the first, the
Highlanders scored four times in the bottom of the first as
Harvey and Festa singled and Kevin Mangels was hit by a pitch
to load the bases. One out later, Jason Collette stroked a
double to left center that cleared the bases and gave the
Highlanders a 3-1 lead. Matt Cunningham stroked a single to
plate Collette for a 4-1 UCR lead.
Shappi cruised through the second and third innings, but the
Cardinal rallied to tie the game in the fourth, getting a
bases loaded walk to score their second run, a RBI single
to score the third, and a fielder's choice to plate the tying
run.
Second baseman Brian Steinmeyer gave UCR a 5-4 lead as he
hit his first homer of the season, a booming shot over the
left field wall that quieted the partisan Stanford crowd.
(June 4, 2003) - Senior
shortstop Randy Blood and senior right fielder Ryan Harvey
were selected on the first day of the Major League Baseball
First Year Player Draft Tuesday, and junior third baseman
Tony Festa was selected on the second day.
Blood was the 167th player
selected overall, taken by the Colorado Rockies in the sixth
round. Harvey was the 559th player selected, taken in the
19th round by the New York Mets.
Festa was taken in the 29th
round byArizona, the 876th player selected.
With senior centerfielder
Brian Wahlbrink agreeing to a contract with the Padres Sunday,
three of UCR's seniors will have the opportunity to continue
their baseball careers.
(June 16, 2003) - Senior
outfielder Ryan Harvey was named Honorable Mention All-American
by the College Baseball Insider web site Monday.
Harvey led the Highlanders
with a .411 average, hit eight homers and scored 63 runs.
He was drafted by the New York Mets in the 19th round and
will play with their rookie league team in Brooklyn this summer.
CollegeBaseballInsider.com
began covering college baseball on a national level on Feb.
14, 2002. The site has attracted 1 million hits this baseball
season.
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