2004-05
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Box
Score
(April 1, 2005) - Cesar
Ramos pitched a complete game seven-hitter to lift Long Beach
State past UC Riverside 6-1 Friday night at Blair Field. The
loss drops the Highlanders to 12-13 on the season and 0-1
in Big West Conference play.
Nick Salotti and Jaime Pedroza
each went 2-for-4 but UCR could only push across a run in
the fifth on Brett Bigler's RBI triple. The Dirtbags (19-10,
1-0) scored one run in the third and fourth innings and two
apiece in the sixth and eighth to claim the win. LBSU's 3-4-5
hitters went 6-for-10 with three RBI and five runs in the
win.
Ramos went the distance,
improving to 6-2 with nine strikeouts, allowing one earned
run and seven hits. Jose Shaw (1-2) took the loss, allowing
four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.
The teams meet again Saturday
at 2 p.m.
Box
Score
(April 2, 2005) - Long Beach
State scored the game's only run with one out in the bottom
of the ninth to nip UC Riverside 1-0 Saturday afternoon at
Blair Field. The #20 49ers improve to 20-10, 2-0 in the Big
West Conference, while the Highlanders fall to 12-14, 0-2.
LBSU struggled all day at
the plate against UCR starter junior Haley Winter, who held
the 49ers to just three hits over the first eight innings.
In the ninth, Winter struck out Evan Longoria, then gave up
a single to Brandon Godfrey and a double to Troy Tulowitzki
on back-to-back pitches. After an intentional walk to Sean
Boatright, Chris Jones' infield grounder went off Winter's
glove and second baseman Jaime Pedroza's throw was too late
to get Godfrey at the plate.
Marco Estrada and Brian
Anderson combined on a seven-hitter. Estrada struck out eight
in the first seven innings before Anderson (3-0) relieved,
allowing one hit over the last two innings to pick up the
win.
Winter (4-4) struck out
six and walked three in his second complete game of the season.
Andrew Martinez went 2-for-3 and Matt Cunningham was 2-for-4.
Nick Salotti ran his current hit streak to nine games with
a single in the fourth.
UCR had a chance to take
the lead in the fourth but Salotti was gunned down at the
plate trying to score from second on a Martinez single.
The teams close out the
series with a 1 p.m. game Sunday.
Box
Score
(April 3, 2005) - Long Beach
State completed a three-game sweep of UC Riverside with a
4-1 victory Sunday afternoon at Blair Field. The #20 49ers
improve to 21-10, 3-0 in the Big West Conference, while the
Highlanders lost their fourth straight to fall to 12-15, 0-3.
In another pitcher's duel,
the third of the weekend, LBSU's Jared Hughes (3-2) outlasted
UCR's Taylor Bills (2-5). Hughes allowed one run on three
hits in seven innings and struck out seven while Bills went
5 1/3, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits.
The 49ers broke open a 1-1
tie with two runs in the fifth and another in the sixth. Bills
hit Danny Mocny to leadoff the fifth then Nick Salotti threw
away Zach Barger's sacrifice bunt, putting two runners on
with no outs. One out later, Steve Velazco hit a two-run double
to give LBSU the 3-1 lead. Mocny delivered a sacrific fly
in the next inning for the final margin.
The Dirtbags got on the
board in the second inning with back-to-back leadoff singles
by Sean Boatright and Chris Jones, before a one-out groundball
to second by Barger made it 1-0. UCR tied it up in the top
of the third with back-to-back doubles by Andrew Garcia and
Anthony Claggett.
The Highlanders tried to
rally in the ninth, putting two runners on with no outs. LBSU's
Neil Jamison shut the door, however, inducing a double-play
grounder and fly ball for his eighth save.
UCR returns to Riverside
for a seven-game homestand starting Tuesday at 6 p.m. against
the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Box
Score
(April
5, 2005) - UC Riverside snapped its season-high four-game
losing streak with a 7-3 victory over the visiting University
of Nevada, Las Vegas Tuesday night at the Riverside Sports
Complex. The win improves the Highlanders’ record to
13-15.
UCR
took advantage of six Rebel errors to fight back from a 2-1
deficit. The Highlanders scored five runs in the fourth on
five hits and two UNLV defensive miscues. Andrew Martinez
led off with a double off reliever Wayne Foltin (0-2), who
had entered in place of starter Efren Navarro, Jr. Brian Steinmeyer
then hit a hot grounder that bounced off of second baseman
CJ Lang’s glove. Kyle Barratt followed with an infield
single that scored Martinez. Another error by Lang, this time
a dropped throw on Kyle Dunbar’s sacrifice bunt, allowed
Steinmeyer to score and Barratt to advance to third. One out
later, Brett Bigler reached on a bunt single that brought
home Barratt. Aaron Grant continued the inning with an RBI
single up the middle. Nick Salotti kept alive his hitting
streak, now at a team season-high 11 games, with a single
to short that loaded the bases for Matt Cunningham, who hit
an RBI groundout to short that made it 6-2 UCR.
UNLV
(14-19) pulled a run back in the fifth thanks to two UCR errors
and had a runner at third with one out but Marc Rzepczynski
(1-0) struck out the next two batters as the rally fizzled.
UCR tacked on a run in the eighth as the Rebels committed
two more errors.
UCR
opened the scoring in the first on Cunningham’s RBI
groundout after Bigler had singled and Grant had walked. The
Rebels tied it up in the second on Justin Tellam’s home
run to left, then took a 2-1 lead in the third on doubles
by JC Sibley and Zeke Parraz.
Bigler
finished the night 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored
while Cunningham drove in two despite going 0-for-4.
Rzepczynski
got his first win of the season with five innings of one-hit
relief after starter Daniel Stange allowed two runs on four
hits over the first three innings. Rzepczynski also struck
out seven. Foltin took the loss, giving up five runs (two
earned) on five hits in one inning of work.
UCR
continues its seven-game homestand with a weekend series against
the University of Washington starting Friday at 7:00 p.m.
Box
Score
(April
8, 2005) - The University of Washington registered a 9-0 win
over hosts UC Riverside Friday night at the Riverside Sports
Complex. The loss drops the Highlanders’ record to 13-16.
UCR
was hindered by wildness on the mound and failure to capitalize
on putting runners on base. The Highlander pitchers walked
six and hit a further five Huskies while UW issued eight walks
on the night but were not penalized as UCR left 11 men on
base.
The
Highlanders had an opportunity to take the lead in the second
inning, when they loaded the bases with one out. The inning
ended on a double play, however, as Brett Bigler hit a fly
ball to centerfield on which Kyle Barratt tried to tag from
third, only to be thrown out at the plate by Michael Burgher’s
one-hopper from center. That play seemed to jumpstart the
Huskies, who had yet to register a baserunner up to that point.
UW scored twice in the next frame, with Taylor Johnson and
Brent Lillibridge each delivering two-out RBI.
Washington
(20-12) added to its lead with three runs in the fourth, aided
by back-to-back RBI doubles by Matt Lane and Nick Batkoski
to knock out UCR starter Jose Shaw (1-3). Another RBI single
by Johnson made it 5-0.
The
Highlanders threatened in the seventh, as Bigler and Louie
Hernandez walked to put men on second and third with no outs.
But Nick Salotti struck out, Aaron Grant flew out to center,
and Matt Cunningham grounded into a fielder’s choice
to end UCR’s last comeback. UW added a run in the eighth
and three more in the ninth to complete the scoring.
Tim
Lincecum (5-4) threw seven innings of four-hit ball, walking
seven but also striking out seven. Shaw took the
loss, allowing five runs on six hits in 3.1 innings.
Salotti
doubled in the fifth to extend his hitting streak to a season-high
12 games.
The
Highlanders and Huskies battle again Saturday at 6 p.m. before
closing out the series Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Riverside Sports
Complex.
Box
Score
(April
9, 2005) - The University of Washington pounded out 20 hits
on the way to a 19-3 victory over hosts UC Riverside Saturday
night at the Riverside Sports Complex. The loss drops the
Highlanders’ record to 13-17.
UW
(21-12) batted around in the second, third, and fourth innings,
scoring one run in the first, six in the second, and five
apiece in the third and fourth to claim a 17-2 lead after
three and a half innings. Brent Lillibridge highlighted the
onslaught with a second inning grand slam that broke open
the game and put the Huskies ahead 7-3. UW tacked on five
more runs in each of the next two innings to put the game
out of reach.
UCR
actually led in the game, its first lead of the series, scoring
twice in the first go ahead 2-1. Brett Bigler led off with
a double to right but the scoring opportunity seemed to pass
as Cory Rickard made a diving stab of Nick Salotti’s
one-out liner to right. Aaron Grant kept the inning alive,
however, with an RBI single, then stole second. Matt Cunningham
followed with a chopper to second that was thrown away, allowing
Grant to score. The lead would be shortlived as the Husky
bats awoke in the top of the next frame.
Haley
Winter entered the game with an earned run average of 1.50,
the lowest among starters in the Big West, but did not get
out of the third inning. Winter gave up nine runs (all earned)
on seven hits and three walks in two innings to drop to 4-5
on the season. Three Highlander relievers did not fair much
better as the potent Washington offense continued its onslaught.
Kyle
Parker (5-4) got the win, allowing three runs (two earned)
on eight hits in six innings. Lillibridge finished 3-for-4
with four RBI and four runs scored while Zach Clem drove in
five runs on three doubles.
Nick
Salotti extended his season-high hitting streak to 13 games
for UCR with an infield single. Grant and Aaron Wible each
went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
The
teams complete the series Sunday at 1 p.m.
Box
Score
(April
10, 2005) - UC Riverside salvaged its three-game series against
the University of Washington with a 14-1 victory Sunday afternoon
at the Riverside Sports Complex. The win snaps the Huskies’
four-game winning streak and improves the Highlanders’
record to 14-17.
UCR
almost recorded as many hits Sunday (13) as they had in the
previous two games combined (14), while holding the Huskies
to just one unearned run on five hits. Matt Cunningham and
Anthony Claggett each went 2-for-5 with two RBI while Nick
Salotti was also 2-for-5 to improve his hitting streak to
a season-high 14 games. Jeff Abney also drove in two runs
and Brian Steinmeyer was 2-for-2 with an RBI and three runs
scored as every UCR starter got at least one hit.
For
the second day in a row, the Highlanders scored twice in the
bottom of the first to take the lead. With one out, Andrew
Garcia singled to center. Salotti then hit his team-leading
eleventh double that put runners on second and third. After
Aaron Grant popped up, Cunningham turned on an 0-2 breaking
ball, driving it to left for a two-run single.
Unlike
the previous night when the Huskies (21-13) exploded in the
middle innings, Taylor Bills kept UW in check, taking a no-hitter
into the fifth inning. UCR added to its lead with two more
runs in the fourth. Grant led off with a walk and Cunningham
followed with a single. Andrew Martinez moved the runners
over with a sacrifice bunt before Steinmeyer brought Grant
home with a single to right. The Highlanders then executed
a fine squeeze play as Cunningham slid under catcher Joey
Dunn’s tag on Jeff Abney’s bunt.
Washington
looked to make a game of it with a run in the top of the fifth
that cut it 4-1 but UCR broke the game open with six runs
in the bottom of the frame. The Highlanders loaded the bases
with no outs but, with the infield in, Cunningham’s
chopper went straight to first baseman Kyle Larsen. Looking
to get the runner at the plate and possibly turn a double
play, Larsen threw home but his throw was wide and rolled
to the backstop, allowing two runs to score. The floodgates
opened as Martinez hit a sacrifice fly for another run, Abney
hit an RBI single, and a throwing error extended the inning
for Bigler to hit another run-scoring single. Another run
came home on a wild pitch as UCR took a 10-1 lead.
The
Highlanders tacked on two more runs in the seventh and eighth
innings. The Huskies wound up committing four errors, their
highest single-game total of the season. UW pitchers also
walked nine.
Bills
(3-5) left the game after allowing up just one hit over five
innings and gave up one unearned run despite walking three.
Daniel Stange pitched three innings of two hit ball and Anthony
Claggett finished it off with two strikeouts in the ninth.
Matt
Kasser (3-3) was roughed up for four runs on five hits and
three walks in 3 1/3 innings. David Dowling relieved but allowed
six runs, only one of which was earned, on four hits and two
walks in 1 1/3 innings. Keaton Everitt and Brandon McKerney
each gave up two runs on two hits in 1 2/3 innings.
UCR
continues its seven-game home stand next weekend with a three-game
series against UC Irvine.
Box
Score
(April
15, 2005) - Andrew Martinez hit a dramatic two-out, two-run
home run in the bottom of the ninth, giving way to Nick Salotti's
game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the tenth as UC
Riverside overcame a 2-0 deficit to beat UC Irvine 3-2 Friday
night at the Riverside Sports Complex. The Highlanders gain
their first Big West Conference victory of the season to improve
to 15-17 overall, 1-3 in conference play.
The
Highlanders left it late but made enough noise in the late
innings off UCI closer Blair Erickson (0-2). After a one-out
double by Aaron Grant in the ninth, Erickson came on to replace
starter Chris Nicoll. He promptly struck out Matt Cunningham
to bring UCR to its final out. Martinez could not have picked
a better moment for his first career home run, belting a 1-0
fastball over the centerfield wall to tie the game at two.
The home run was UCR's first in ten games, breaking the longest
team homerless streak since 2002.
The
home run seemed to rattle Erickson as he hit Jeff Dunbar to
lead off the tenth. After a failed sacrifice bunt by Jaime
Pedroza resulted in a popup to the catcher, Erickson walked
Brett Bigler and Andrew Garcia to load the bases for Salotti.
The first baseman, who had earlier extended his hitting streak
to 15 games with a first inning single, delivered a fly ball
deep enough to score Dunbar.
Adam
Reifer pitched brilliantly in relief to improve to 2-0. Reifer
retired all six Anteaters he faced, striking out five.
UC
Irvine (16-16, 2-5 BWC) got on the board first on Erik Johnson's
run-scoring double in the fourth inning. The Anteaters stranded
Johnson at third in that inning and then left the bases loaded
in both the sixth and seventh innings, although they managed
to push across another run in the seventh to make it 2-0.
Both
Nicoll and UCR starter Haley Winter pitched outstanding games,
only to be left out of the decision. Nicoll went 8 1/3 innings,
allowing five hits and one run while striking out eight. Winter
pitched eight innings and gave up two runs on nine hits and
two walks. He also struck out five.
The
teams meet again Saturday at 6 p.m. and close out the series
Sunday at 1 p.m.
Box
Score
(April
16, 2005) - UC Irvine evened up the series with UC Riverside
with a 5-2 victory Saturday evening at the Riverside Sports
Complex. The Highlanders fall to 15-18 on the season and 1-4
in the Big West Conference.
Less
than 24 hours after a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the
ninth propelled UCR to an extra innings win, the Highlanders
again found themselves trailing. UCI (17-16, 3-5 Big West)
got on the board with a run in the first inning and pushed
across two more in the third and another in the fourth to
claim a 4-0 lead off Taylor Bills (3-6).
The
Highlanders pulled a run back in the fourth on a double to
left by Matt Cunningham that scored Nick Salotti, who had
doubled with one out to extend his career-high hitting streak
to 16 games. UCR clawed another run back in the fifth when
Brian Steinmeyer led off the inning with his first home run
of the season.
UCR
threatened again in the sixth, putting runners on second and
third with two out and last night's hero, Andrew Martinez,
at the plate. UCI starter snuffed the rally by striking out
Martinez to leave the tying run stranded at second. The Anteaters
added another insurance run in the seventh for a three-run
lead.
The
Highlanders had one more chance to tie it in the eighth. Aaron
Grant walked with two outs and advanced to second on Matt
Cunningham's bloop single. That brought up Martinez for another
chance to level things with a long ball but reliever Nash
Robertson jammed Martinez, who grounded the ball to short
for the force out.
Cassel
(4-2) got the win, going 7 2/3 innings and allowing two runs
on seven hits and a walk. Cassel also struck out nine. Robertson
retired the only batter he faced and Blair Erickson got his
sixth save with a scoreless ninth.
Bills
allowed five runs on 12 hits in 7 1/3 innings while walking
one and striking out five. Pat Cassa pitched the final five
outs.
The
teams close out their series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Box
Score
(April
17, 2005) - UC Riverside dropped the final game of a three
game series 8-5 to UC Irvine, giving the Anteaters the series
win for the second straight year Sunday afternoon at the Riverside
Sports Complex. The Highlanders fell to 15-19 on the season
and 1-5 in the Big West Conference.
Sunday’s
game followed the same script as the first two, with UCI (18-16,
4-5 Big West) taking an early lead, only to see UCR fight
back. After clawing back for the win Friday night, the Highlanders
were unable to fully overcome their deficits in the last two
games.
UCR
staked UCI to a 2-0 lead in the first, as a throwing error
by first baseman Andrew Martinez on a potential double-play
ball prolonged the inning. The Highlanders struck back with
a run in the bottom of the frame as Aaron Grant delivered
an RBI single up the middle to score Brett Bigler.
The
Anteaters scored four runs in the fourth to chase UCR starter
Daniel Stange (0-1). Gregg Wallis led off the inning with
a double, one of four hits for him on the day. One out later,
Wallis scored on a double by Tim Wojcik, who in turn came
home on Ollie Linton’s single to right. Linton moved
to second when Danny Miramontes was hit by a pitch and then
came home on Mark Wagner’s RBI single, ending Stange’s
day. Adam Reifer came on to relieve, giving up a sacrifice
fly to Jaime Martinez.
Trailing
6-1, the Highlanders began to chip away at the lead. They
scored once in the fourth on Brian Steinmeyer’s RBI
groundout but stranded runners at second and third. UCR added
two more runs the next inning. Nick Salotti led off with a
triple and came home on Grant’s double down the leftfield
line. Martinez then delivered a one-out single to make it
6-4.
UC
Irvine gave itself a cushion in the top of the sixth on Wagner’s
two-run homer that barely cleared the wall in left-center.
Those proved to be important runs as UCR pulled another run
back in the bottom of the sixth on Steinmeyer’s solo
home run to left, his second dinger in as many days. Although
UCR had runners aboard in the final three innings, two spectacular
diving stops by Wojcik at third kept the Highlanders from
cutting into the Anteater lead.
Salotti
fell a homer short of the cycle, going 3-for-5 to run his
current hit streak to 17 games. Grant also ended the day 3-for-5
and drove in two runs. Wallis went 4-for-5 for UCI while Linton
and Wojcik each collected three hits apiece.
Steve
Shroer (4-4) got the win despite giving up five runs on 10
hits in five innings. Gary Nakashima picked up his first save
of the season with four innings of two-hit relief. Stange
took the loss, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits
in 3 1/3 innings.
UCR
concludes its seven-game home stand having gone 3-4. They
take to the road next week for three games at Cal State Northridge.
Box
Score
(April 22, 2005) - Junior
Haley Winter pitched a complete-game two-hitter as UC Riverside
took the first game of a weekend series 12-1 at Cal State
Northridge Friday afternoon at Matador Field. The win snaps
a two-game losing streak for the Highlanders (16-19, 2-5 Big
West) and sends the Matadors (13-21-1, 0-10) to their tenth
consecutive Big West Conference loss.
Riverside jumped out to
an early lead against a wild Peter Eberhardt (3-3). The Matador
starting pitcher walked three batters and allowed five hits
in an inning and a third, constantly falling behind in counts
as UCR brought in five runs in the first two innings. Junior
Andrew Martinez got UCR on the board with a two-out, two-run
single in the first, and the Highlanders never looked back.
Winter (5-5) would allow
just a second-inning run, but faced little pressure from the
CSUN hitters and retired 13 hitters in a row to end his third
complete game of the season. Both Matador hits, a Michael
Paulk single in the second and a Paul Wilson single in the
fifth, were infield hits that just eluded a UCR defender.
Paulk's single looked to be the start of a second-inning rally
as Luke Riordan had walked to open the frame and both runners
then advanced a base on a balk. After John Voita flew out
to shallow right field, Erik Hagstrom brought in the only
CSUN run of the day with a groundout to second. But Winter
escaped, leaving Paulk on third, as Wilson went down on strikes.
Winter also walked two batters and struck out three.
UC Riverside ended the day
of Eberhardt as junior Anthony Claggett doubled to left center
with one out in the second to drive in a pair of runs and
give the Highlanders a 4-0 lead. Kyle Jean came in on relief
and was effective for 4.1 innings, but couldn't escape without
allowing a run as a two-out fly ball to right field off the
bat of Cunningham fell in between three Matador defenders
to bring in two runs in the sixth.
The Highlanders finished
off their scoring with five runs in the eighth, getting a
three-run home run from Matt Cunningham, followed two batters
later by a two-run blast from junior Brian Steinmeyer. It
was Cunningham's first home run since March 12 and gave him
a team-leading eight on the season. Steinmeyer homered for
the third successive gamve to give him three on the season.
Cunningham finished his
afternoon with a game-high 3-for-4 day with five RBI as UCR
outhit CSUN 12-2. Claggett scored three times for Riverside.
Sophomore Nick Salotti saw his career-high 17-game hitting
streak come to an end, going 0-for-4, although he walked twice,
including once intentionally.
The two teams will continue
the conference series tomorrow, April 23 at 1 p.m. at Matador
Field. Jimmy Brettl will get the starting nod for CSUN. Riverside
will start sophomore righty Taylor Bills.
Box
Score
(April 23, 2005) - Sophomore
Taylor Bills pitched the second consecutive complete game
for UC Riverside as the Highlanders beat Cal State Northridge
2- 1 Saturday afternoon at Matador Field. The win gives UCR
its first conference series win of the season, putting them
at 17-19 and 3-5 in the Big West Conference.
The Highlanders scored the
first run in the fourth. Matt Cunningham led off with a double,
but was thrown out at third on a groundball by Andrew Martinez.
With Brian Steinmeyer at the plate, CSUN starter Jimmy Brettl
caught Martinez taking off for second, but Michael Paulk's
throw to second glanced off the runner and in to left to allow
Martinez to third. Steinmeyer finished off the job with a
sac fly to deep left field.
The Highlanders moved ahead
2-0 in the top of the ninth inning, giving Bills a bigger
cushion to work with. Aaron Grant singled into leftfield to
start the inning and moved up to second on a wild pitch. After
a groundball to third moved Grant to third, Brettl walked
Martinez and enduced Steinmeyer into a groundball to shortstop.
Alberto Quintana couldn't make the play cleanly at short though,
getting just the one out at second base as Grant trotted in
to score.
Bills survived a comeback
by CSUN (13-22-1, 0-11 BWC)in the ninth inning. Drew Aguailar
hit a pinch-hit bunt single and Paulk followed with a ball
that landed just fair down the left field line for an RBI
double. Bills then finished off the rest of the Matadors with
some help from his defense. Catcher Jeff Abney made a great
diving catch to put away Quintana on a sac bunt attempt, keeping
Paulk at second base. After a fly out by Luke Riordan, John
Voita slammed a ball to dead-center field. Brett Bigler chased
it down all the way to the track in the deepest part of the
yard though, grabbing the final out over his shoulder.
Bills picked up his second
complete game of the season, and the second in as many days
for UCR pitching after Haley Winter's on Friday. Bills allowed
one run off five hits and no walks, striking out four. Bills
didn't allow a hit until Erik Hagstrom singled to left with
one out in the fifth. Two Matador batters had reached on an
error before that.
Brettl, who has now lost
his last 12 decisions, fell to 0-6 this year, but not for
lack of effort. He allowed two runs, one earned, in his first
complete game, surrendering seven hits and two walks with
five strikeouts.
Grant was the only player
with two hits in the game, scoring the winning run.
The series finale is tomorrow,
April 24 at 1 p.m. at Matador Field. Craig Baker and Daniel
Stange are the scheduled starters.
Box
Score
(April 24, 2005) - A three-run
home run by Andrew Martinez capped off a huge day as UC Riverside
(18-19, 4-5 BWC) overcame an early deficit to sweep Cal State
Northridge (13-23-1, 0-12 BWC) 9-8 in 10-innings on Sunday
afternoon at Matador Field. Martinez finished with a career-high
seven runs batted in, matching the highest single game total
by a Highlander this season.
Martinez, the designated
hitter for UCR, drove in seven runs in his final three at-bats
as the Highlanders erased a 6-2 deficit. With Northridge leading
6-4 in the eighth inning, Andrew Garcia doubled to lead off
the inning. A two-out walk to Matt Cunningham set up Martinez
for his first big moment. He took a pitch from Joe Rocchio
and smashed it down the third base line, hitting it too hard
for Erik Hagstrom to handle, and down the line in left to
tie up the game at 6-6.
Martinez wasn’t done, finishing
off the comeback in the 10th. Nick Salotti singled to start
the frame and Aaron Grant reached on an error by second baseman
Jeff Tezak. Cunningham failed at a sac bunt, with Salotti
thrown out at third. But Martinez then cleaned up as he hit
Rocchio’s offering deep over the wall in left for a 9-6 lead.
The Matadors pulled back
with two runs in the bottom of the 10th off Anthony Claggett.
Johnny Coit walked with one out and Michael Paulk launched
a two-out, two-run homer to left field to bring CSUN back
to 9-8. Claggett then finished off the game, and the series
sweep, making a nice play on Drew Aguailar’s bunt to get the
final out at first.
CSUN had led from the first
inning, scoring a pair of runs in each of the first two frames
off UCR starter Daniel Stange, who only recorded three outs.
Paulk and John Voita had consecutive one-out RBI singles in
the first. In the second inning, Paul Wilson and Hagstrom
started off with base hits and a single by Adam Fleener and
sac fly by Tezak gave Northridge a 4-1 lead. Northridge also
padded the lead in the fourth with a one-out double by Alberto
Quintana to drive in Tezak and a sac fly off the bat of Voita
with the bases loaded to bring in Coit.
UCR inched back thanks to
RBI singles by Cunningham in the second and fourth innings
but the player of the day was clearly Martinez, who made up
for poor showings in his first two trips to the plate. A 1-6-3
double play followed his sac bunt attempt in the second and
a fly out ended the fourth inning, killing potential rallies
each time. But he then brought the Highlanders within two
runs in the sixth with a two-out, two-run double and had the
game-tying and game-winning hits later on.
Claggett, the fourth pitcher
used by UCR, improved to 1-0 with three innings of two-run,
two-hit pitching. He also walked two batters and struck out
two. Pat Cassa pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on
six hits, while Adam Reifer gave up just one hit in 1 2/3
innings.
Rocchio fell to 3-6 this
season with the loss, also blowing the save in the eighth.
He allowed three earned runs off five hits with four strikeouts
in 2.2 innings. Starter Craig Baker went six innings, allowing
four runs on seven hits.
UCR returns home for a three-game
weekend series against University of the Pacific. The Highlanders
and Tigers play at 7 p.m. on Friday night and then 1 p.m.
on Saturday and Sunday.
Box
Score
(April 26, 2005) - UC Riverside
took advantage of a third inning error to score five unearned
runs in an 11-3 victory over UNLV Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
In addition to ending the Rebels' four game winning streak,
the Highlanders won their season-high fourth straight to climb
back to .500 at 19-19 on the season.
UCR scored three runs in
the first as UNLV starter Matt Wagner struggled to find the
plate. Brett Bigler walked to start the game and scored two
batters later when Nick Salotti doubled. After Matt Cunningham
walked, he and Salotti each moved up a base on a wild pitch.
Salotti came home on Andrew Martinez's RBI groundout to third
and Cunningham crossed the plate on Brian Steinmeyer's RBI
single.
The Rebels (20-23) scored
two runs of their own in the bottom of the first. JC Sibley
was hit by a pitch, then moved to second when Mike Cruz walked.
Zeke Parraz continued to be an RBI machine, driving in his
51st run of the season on a double. A sacrifice fly by Chris
Bonnell made it 3-2.
Things would all go wrong
for the Rebels in the third inning and the Highlanders gladly
took advantage. Matt Luca replaced Wagner to start the inning
and struck out Grant. Salotti singled but Cunningham struck
out for the second out. A single by Martinez extended the
inning, which looked to end when Steinmeyer lifted a fly ball
to left field. But Matt Fry dropped the ball, allowing Salotti
and Martinez to score. Andy Clay followed with a walk and
Aaron Wible singled home Steinmeyer with Clay moving to third.
That ended Luca's day with Chris Huseman replacing him. The
Highlanders tested the new pitcher right away, pulling off
a double steal with Clay coming home. Andrew Garcia singled
in Wible to make it 8-2 with all five runs coming unearned.
The Rebels scored one run
in the fifth but the Highlanders tacked on three more in the
seventh thanks to more UNLV miscues. Andy Clay opened the
inning with a double off Eric Brock, the Rebels' sixth pitcher
of the evening. Clay advanced to third on a wild pitch and,
two batters later, Garcia knocked in his second run of the
day with a single. Garcia then stole second, moved to third
on a Bigler single, and scored on another wild pitch. After
loading the bases on catcher's interference and another single
by Salotti, Bigler came home on Brock's third wild pitch of
the inning.
Shaw (2-3) grabbed his second
win of the season, pitching six innings and allowing three
runs on three hits while striking out five. Marc Rzepczynski
and Matt Millett finished off the combined five-hitter.
Wagner (3-3) took the loss,
allowing three runs on two hits and two walks in two innings.
Salotti finished the game
with a season-high four hits while Garcia was 2-for-4 with
two RBI. Clay also collected two hits while Grant saw his
11 game hitting streak come to an end.
UCR returns home for a three-game
weekend series against University of the Pacific. The Highlanders
and Tigers play at 7 p.m. on Friday night and then 1 p.m.
on Saturday and Sunday.
Box
Score
(April
29, 2005) - Haley Winter took a no-hitter into the seventh
inning and Andrew Martinez drove in seven runs as UC Riverside
jumped all over University of the Pacific 14-0 Friday night
at the Riverside Sports Complex. The Highlanders won their
season-high fifth straight to move above .500 for the first
time since in over a month, improving to 20-19 overall and
5-5 in Big West Conference play.
Winter (6-5) continued to prove himself as the ace of the
Highlander staff after a complete game two-hitter last week
at Cal State Northridge. Tonight, after a wild start in which
he hit the first batter of the game and walked the second,
he calmed down, retiring 19 of the next 20 batters before
giving up a one-out single to pinch-hitter Ryan Amos in the
seventh. Winter got some help in the field with Aaron Grant
and Andrew Martinez both making spectacular diving catches
to preserve the no-hitter. Winter left the game after the
seventh, having allowed just two hits and two walks while
striking out four.
At
the plate, Martinez posted his second seven-RBI day in three
games. With UCR leading 4-0 in the fourth, he came up with
the bases loaded and dumped a double down the rightfield line
to clear the runners. The next inning, Martinez again came
to bat with the bases loaded. This time, he turned on a pitch
and smacked it over the leftfield fence for his first career
grand slam. The homer gave Martinez 15 RBI in his last three
games.
That
would be the end of the scoring for both teams, although the
Tigers (18-25, 4-9 Big West) loaded the bases in the ninth
off of Chad Decker. Decker was able to get a popup and groundout
to preserve its first shutout of the season.
The
Highlanders got on the board with two runs in the second.
Martinez was hit by Luke Massetti (5-6) to start the inning
and moved to second on Brian Steinmeyer’s single. Andy
Clay’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners over and Martinez
came home when shortstop Dale Hall booted Andrew Garcia’s
grounder. Anthony Claggett singled home Steinmeyer to make
it 2-0. Consecutive singles by Aaron Grant, Nick Salotti,
and Matt Cunningham to open the third plated another run before
UCR broke it open with four runs in the fourth and seven in
the fifth.
Salotti
also continued his current hot streak, going 4-for-4 with
two RBI and two runs scored. It was Salotti’s second
straight four-hit outing and he is now 10-for-13 in his last
three games. Grant went 3-for-4 with three runs scored while
Martinez, Claggett and Brett Bigler all collected two hits
apiece. Both of Bigler’s hits were triples, giving him
a team-leading four this season.
Massetti
lasted just 4 1/3 innings, allowing nine runs (eight earned)
on ten hits and three walks.
The
teams meet again Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. On Saturday,
Taylor Bills (4-6) of UCR will face Pacific’s Tyler
McCready (2-1).
Box
Score
(April
30, 2005) - Taylor Bills became the second UC Riverside pitcher
in as many days to take a no-hitter deep into the game, leading
the Highlanders to a 10-6 victory over University of the Pacific
Saturday afternoon at the Riverside Sports Complex. It was
UCR’s season-high sixth straight win as they improve
to 21-19 overall and 6-5 in Big West Conference play.
One
day after Haley Winter’s no-hit bid was broken up with
one out in the seventh inning, Bills tried his hand at UCR’s
first no-hitter in 39 years. The sophomore righthander retired
the first 11 Tigers he faced before Matt Berezay broke up
the perfect game with a two-out walk in the fourth. Bills
also walked the next hitter, Brandon Gottier, but settled
down again to get seven of the next eight hitters. The no-hitter
ended in the sixth when, after a one-out throwing error by
Andrew Garcia, Will Brindza delivered a two-out RBI double
to center.
By
the time Pacific (18-26, 4-10 Big West) got on the board,
the Highlanders were already holding a 7-0 lead. Nick Salotti
opened the scoring in the first inning with his sixth home
run of the year, a three-run shot to left off of Tyler McCready
(2-2). UCR added a run in the third and two more in the fourth,
courtesy of an RBI single by Garcia after Andrew Martinez
walked and Brian Steinmeyer was hit by a pitch. Anthony Claggett
tripled in another run to make it 6-0 before UCR tacked on
a seventh run in the fifth when Garcia was hit by a pitch
with the bases loaded. UCR could have extended its lead with
the next hitter but centerfielder John Joines made a spectacular
diving catch over his shoulder to rob Claggett of another
extra-base hit and leave the bases full.
Once
they broke through against Bills, the Tigers mounted a comeback
that had the Highlanders sweating in the afternoon heat. Trailing
8-1 in the eighth, pinch-hitter Jason Haar led off with a
walk. The next two hitters, Brindza and Adam Ching, singled
and doubled to drive in a run before Berezay hit a sacrifice
fly for the second run. After a single, Ryan Wilmer knocked
in another run with a sacrifice fly to left that ended Bills’
day. Adam Reifer came on with two outs and got Justin Baum
to ground to Steinmeyer at short. But Steinmeyer’s throw
pulled Martinez off the bag at first to load the bases. A
wild pitch made it 8-5 but Steinmeyer redeemed himself with
a fine diving catch on Anthony Jackson’s soft liner
to end the threat.
UCR
gave itself a five-run cushion with two more runs in the eighth.
Bigler led off with a walk and Grant doubled him home, later
scoring on a passed ball. The Tigers scored again in the ninth
but Anthony Claggett closed out the game by striking out Berezay
with a runner on third.
Bills
improved to 5-6 with 7 2/3 innings. He allowed five runs (three
earned) on five hits while walking three and striking out
three. McCready allowed six runs on six hits on 3 2/3 innings.
The four Tiger pitchers were victims of their own doing, combining
on six walks and five hit batsmen.
Martinez
was 1-for-1 with two runs scored but reached in all five plate
appearances with two walks and twice getting hit by pitches.
Salotti was 1-for-5 with three RBI while Garcia also drove
in three in a 2-for-3 effort. Bigler went 2-for-3 with three
runs scored at the top of the order.
The
series wraps up tomorrow at 1 p.m. with UCR’s Marc Rzepczynski
(1-0) facing UOP’s Matt Pena (1-2).
2004-05
Baseball Archives
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