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(March
2, 2007) - The 20th-ranked UC Riverside Highlanders lost the
opening game of a three-game series at the University of Oklahoma,
14-5 Friday afternoon at Dale Mitchell Park in Norman, OK.
The Highlanders fall to 10-5 on the season while the Sooners
improve to 7-4.
In
what was anticipated to be a strong pitching matchup, the
Sooners got to UCR ace junior RHP James Simmons early with
two runs in the second. Mike Gosse delivered a one-out RBI
double and was brought home on a single by Jackson Williams.
The Highlanders came right back with three runs in the third
when freshman RF Joey Gonzales doubled to lead off and came
home two batters later on a groundout by junior 3B Ben Price.
With two outs and nobody on, the Highlanders scored twice
more thanks to consecutive doubles by sophomore CF Carl Uhl
and junior SS Jaime Pedroza, with freshman 1B Mark Samuelson
knocking home the go-ahead run with a single that made it
3-2.
UCR’s
lead did not last long as the Sooners scored three times in
their half of the inning, including a two-run home run by
Aaron Reza. OU increased its lead to 7-3 with two more runs
in the fourth thanks to a run-scoring double by Joe Dunigan
and a single by Aaron Baker.
Pedroza
tripled in a run in the fifth before coming home himself on
a sacrifice fly by junior LF Aaron Wible that brought UCR
back to 7-5. The Highlanders looked to rally again in the
sixth, loading the bases with one out on three walks. Oklahoma
got out of the inning when Uhl grounded a ball to third and
the Sooners got the lead runner at the plate and then OU reliever
Heath Taylor struck out Pedroza to end the threat.
That
would prove to be a pivotal point of the game as the Sooners
scored four times in the bottom of the frame to blow it open.
Oklahoma took advantage of two UCR errors, three walks, a
wild pitch, and a hit batter and would go on to add another
run in the seventh and two more in the eighth.
Simmons
(4-1) suffered his first loss of the season, allowing seven
runs on nine hits and two walks in five innings. The Highlanders
used five pitchers on the day and issued nine walks. Pedroza
finished 2-for-5 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored.
Stephen
Porlier (3-0) gained the victory, going 5 1/3 innings and
allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks
while striking out five. He gave way to Taylor and Danny Grande,
neither of whom conceded a hit over the final 3+ innings.
Reza
went 3-for-6 with four RBI while Baker collected two hits
and two RBI. Dunigan and Williams also came through with a
pair of hits each.
(March
3, 2007) - UC Riverside could not slow down the hot Oklahoma
Sooners, falling 11-5 on Saturday at L. Dale Mitchell Park
in Norman, OK. The Sooners win their sixth in a row to improve
to 8-4 as the Highlanders drop to 10-6.
With
plenty of run support, the Sooners’ pitching staff,
led by Ryan Mottern (2-2), limited Riverside to five runs
off six hits in six innings. Pat Cassa (1-1) took the loss
for the Highlanders, giving up four runs (three earned) on
seven hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out five
as the Highlanders used a season-high six pitchers.
UC Riverside jumped on top
with a solo homer by junior RF Mike Vass in the second inning,
his team-leading third of the season. OU tied the game in
the bottom of the frame when Devin Shepherd crossed the plate
on an error by freshman 2B Bryan Horst.
After Vass’ solo
shot, Mottern settled down to retire seven consecutive batters.
He finished the contest with one run allowed on three hits
and two walks, while striking out four.
In the third frame, Oklahoma jumped on top 2-1 with Aaron
Baker’s RBI double. A squeeze-bunt by Aaron Ivey put
OU ahead 3-1 in the fourth and the flood gates opened with
a five-run sixth inning and three more runs in the seventh.
UCR pushed across a single
run in the seventh and got a three-run home run in the ninth
from freshman 1B Mark Samuelson, the first of his career.
Baker (2-for-5, two RBIs) and Aaron Reza (3-for-4, 3 RBIs)
were two of the four Sooners that had multiple hits on Saturday.
Jackson Williams was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and Davis
was 2-for-4 with a run scored and one driven in.
Samuelson had his first
career three-RBI game but no Highlander had more than one
hit in the contest.
(March
4, 2007) - Junior LHP Dan Runzler tossed his first career
complete game but it was not enough as Oklahoma scored in
the bottom of the ninth for a 2-1 victory and weekend sweep
of UC Riverside Sunday at L. Dale Mitchell Park in Norman,
OK. The Highlanders drop to 10-7 on the season while the Sooners
win their seventh in a row to improve to 9-4.
Having
conceded 10 or more runs to the Sooners in the series' opening
two games, UCR turned to Runzler to halt the hot Oklahoma
offense. The former reliever responded with the longest outing
of his career and third complete game by a Highlander pitcher
this season. Runzler allowed both earned runs on seven hits
and struck out five while walking four but was unable to get
the run support needed to earn his first victory of the year,
dropping to 0-4.
The Highlanders took the
lead in the top of the first when sophomore CF Carl Uhl hit
a leadoff double. Two outs later, Uhl stole third and came
home on a passed ball. UCR looked to add to its lead in the
fourth, putting a pair of runners on with two outs. Junior
2B Ben Price came through with a single but junior LF Mike
Vass, trying to score from second, was thrown out at home
for the third out. The Highlanders did not get a runner past
second the rest of the game.
OU tied it in the fifth
on a two-out single by Aaron Reza and threatened in the seventh
with runners on first and third but Runzler got Reza to ground
out and kept the score tied.
In the ninth, Jackson Williams
led off with a walk and was sacrificed to second. That brought
up Aaron Ivey, who singled to left center, bringing home Williams
with the winning run.
Heath Taylor (1-0) picked
up the win in 3 2/3 innings of one-hit relief. Starter Brad
Burns went 5 1/3, allowing the one unearned run on six hits
and two walks. Both pitchers recorded four strikeouts.
Uhl finished the day 2-for-5
for his team-leading seventh multi-hit game of the season.
Reza and Ivey each went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the hosts.
(March
6, 2007) - Senior LHP Marc Rzepczynski threw a complete-game
six-hitter and got home runs from junior DH Mike Vass and
junior SS Jaime Pedroza to defeat #20 USC 4-1 Tuesday night
at Dedeaux Field in Los Angeles. The Highlanders snap a three-game
losing streak to improve to 11-7 while the Trojans fall to
13-8.
After being ranked #20 last
week but dropping out of the top-25 this week, UCR claimed
its second win this year over a ranked opponent. Rzepczynski
tossed the Highlanders' fourth complete game of the year,
and second in a row, to improve to 4-0 on the season. He allowed
a lone run in the second on a sacrifice fly by Roberto Lopez
and allowed just two runners to reach second the rest of the
way. He struck out six and walked three.
The Trojans’ biggest threat
came in the second when they loaded the bases with one out.
Lopez’s RBI sacrifice fly produced USC’s lone run of the evening,
scoring Johnny Bowden and Rzepczynski got a groundout to end
the threat. Key double plays by the Highlanders ended the
Trojans’ fifth and sixth inning.
UCR got on the board first
in the top of the second when junior LF Mike Vass smacked
a solo home run, his team-leading fourth of the season, to
center. After USC tied it up in the second, junior SS Jaime
Pedroza added a solo shot of his own in the sixth to give
the Highlanders the lead for good.
Rzepczynski got some help
in the Highlander sixth when he issued two walks but both
runners were erased trying to steal by junior C Jeff Dunbar,
the second cocming on a strikeout-throwout. The Highlanders
took advantage by tacking on a pair of insurance runs in the
seventh. Senior 3B Kyle Barratt led off with a double and
was sacrificed to third. That would be the end of the day
for USC starter Anthony Vasquez, who gave way to Hector Rabago.
After a walk to Dunbar, sophomore CF Carl Uhl brought home
Barratt with a groundout to first. Freshman RF Joey Gonzales
followed with a single that scored Dunbar.
Pedroza finished with a
2-for-4 effort and an RBI while adding his third homer of
the year.
Vasquez took the loss to
fall to 1-4, giving up three runs on six hits while striking
out seven in 6 1/3 innings.
(March 9,
2007) - UC Riverside surrendered three runs in top of ninth
to lose to the University of Portland 8-7 Friday night at
the Riverside Baseball Complex. Junior's Ben Price and Jaime
Pedroza each collected two hits and drove in a run as the
Highlanders (11-8) could not hold their one-run ninth inning
lead.
UCR went ahead 6-5 in the eighth when Price doubled to left
center with two outs to score junior catcher Jeff Dunbar who
had walked earlier in the inning. The lead was the sixth lead
change of game between the Highlanders and Pilots (8-4).
Portland started the top of the ninth with their first to
hitters reaching base on a Highlander error and a base hit
to set up first and second for the Pilots. Highlander pitcher
Stephen Penney fielded Portland's Brandon Howard's bunt and
threw high of first baseman Mark Samuelson, the ball went
all the way down the right field line, allowing both Portland
runners to score and Howard to advance to third. The Pilots
picked up another run in the inning on a Highlander wild pitch
to take an 8-6 into the bottom of the ninth.
UCR was able to push across one run on a double steal in the
ninth to cut the Pilot lead to 8-7 but Pilot closer Danny
Meier got pinch-hitter Bryan Horst to ground into a fielder's
choice to end the game.
The
Highlanders got on the board first in the second inning when
sophomore DH Jordan Opdyke drove in junior Aaron Wible with
an RBI single for a 1-0 UCR lead. The two teams exchanged
leads the next two innings with UCR taking a 3-2 lead in the
fourth on a Pedroza RBI single to score Price who had doubled
earlier in the inning.
The
Pilots pushed two runs across in the sixth on a two-run home
run by Danny Meier off of Highlander starting pitcher James
Simmons. UCR answered back in the bottom of the inning when
sophomore Carl Uhl doubled to short right center to score
senior Kyle Barratt who led off the inning with a double of
his own. A drawn-in Pilot infield allowed the ball to drop
and Uhl hustled all the way to second. Uhl then came home
after stealing third and the throw went into left field, allowiing
Uhl to score a give UCR a 5-4 lead.
Simmons (4-1) was not able to hold the lead for the Highlanders
in the seventh as he allowed a game-tying homer to Howard
to make the score 5-5. Simmons got the no-decision after going
six and two-thirds, allowing three earned runs and striking
out four.
Penney (0-1) took the loss for UCR after allowing the three
unearned runs to score in the ninth. Brian Yoakum threw one
and two-third innings to earn the win for Portland, with Meier
earning his first save of the season.
(March10,
2007) - UC Riverside lost to University of Portland, 5-2 Saturday
afternoon at the Riverside Baseball Complex. Highlander junior
starting pitcher Pat Cassa struck out five in six innings
of work and retired 12 in a row at one point before the Pilots
(9-4) rallied for three runs in the seventh to take the second
game of the three game series.
The Highlanders (11-9) took a 2-0 lead in the third after
junior catcher Jeff Dunbar led off the inning with a single
and sophomore center fielder Carl Uhl followed with a walk
to set up first and second with nobody out. Both runners moved
into scoring position after a freshman Joey Gonzalez sacrifice
bunt and junior shortstop Jaime Pedroza came through with
a sacrifice fly to left to bring home Dunbar for a 1-0 lead.
Redshirt freshman first baseman Mark Samuelson then picked
a two-out RBI with a single to right to bring home Uhl for
the 2-0 lead.
After allowing the Pilots to load the bases with no outs in
the third, Cassa struck out the next two batters and got the
next batter to fly out to end the inning with no Pilot runners
coming across. Cassa retired the next nine Portland batters
until he allowed four straight Pilot hits to start the seventh.
The four consecutive hits led to three runs and a Portland
3-2 lead. Senior pitcher Taylor Bills came on in relief of
Cassa after allowing the three runs to cross. Bills ended
the Pilot's threat of more runs with a strikeout and two groundouts.
Portland added two more runs in the eighth with RBI doubles
by Brandon Powell and Danny Meier to take a 5-2 Pilot lead.
Gonzalez
led off the Highlander eighth with a double down the left
line and Pedroza followed with a walk to set up first and
second and no outs. Pilot pitcher Chris Siegfried came on
in relief of starter Given Kutz after the Gonzales double
and retired the three Highlanders after the walk to end the
UCR threat.
Siegfried
set UCR down in order in the ninth to pick up his first save
of the season and give Kutz (2-2) his second win. Kutz finished
with four strikeouts in seven innings of work, allowing only
those two earned runs in the third.
Cassa (1-2) took the loss and Gonzalez finished 3-for-3 on
the day for the Highlanders.
(March 11,
2007) -UC Riverside used a six-run fifth inning to beat University
of Portland Sunday afternoon in front of 273 fans at the Riverside
Baseball Complex. Redshirt freshman first baseman Mark Samuelson
led the way for the Highlanders (12-9) going 3-for-5 with
a home run and four RBI to give junior starting pitcher Dan
Runzler his first win of the season and avoid the sweep from
Portland (9-5).
Samuelson got the Highlanders on the board in the second inning
with a one-out solo home run high off the scoreboard in right
center to give UCR a 1-0 lead.
UCR added four more runs in the fourth when freshman right
fielder Joey Gonzales led off the inning with a single and
junior shortstop Jaime Pedroza followed with another single
to set up first and third for junior left fielder Aaron Wible.
Wible drove in Gonzales with a sacrifice fly, Pedroza then
came around to score from first on a Samuelson double down
the right field line and sophomore designated hitter Jordan
Opdyke drove in Samuelson with a double down the left field
line. Later in the inning freshman second baseman Bryan Horst
singled to right center to drive in Opdyke and give UCR a
5-0 lead.
Portland answered right back in the top of the fifth with
a Justin Pierce two-run home run off of Highlander junior
starting pitcher Dan Runzler to cut the UCR lead to 5-2. Billy
Krause came across for Portland on a wild pitch but Runzler
escaped the inning after loading the bases without further
damage and preserve a 5-3 UCR lead.
The
Highlanders put up six runs in the their half of the fifth
with sophomore centerfielder Carl Uhl singled to start the
inning and advanced to second on a Portland balk. Gonzales
followed up with his second hit to set up first and third
and nobody out for UCR. Pedroza picked up his second hit of
the afternoon to bring home Uhl and give the Highlanders a
6-3 lead. Pilot relief pitcher Pat Geraghty then walked Wible
to load the bases for Samuelson, who promptly singled to right
field, his third hit of the day, to score Gonzales and Pedroza
and give UCR a 8-3 lead. Samuelson came across on a fielder's
choice off the bat of Horst and junior catcher Jeff Dunbar
then hammered a double that short-hopped the centerfield wall,
plating Opdyke and Horst to give UCR a 11-3 lead.
UC
Riverside sophomore relief pitcher Matt Montgomery allowed
two Pilot runs to come across in the sixth to cut the Highlander
lead to 11-5. Sophomore pitcher Stephen Penney came in and
got a groundout to shut to door on the Pilot rally.
Junior
third baseman Ben Price added to the UCR lead in the seventh
with a RBI double and Uhl followed with a RBI single to open
the game up to 13-5.
Eight
Highlanders finished with at least one hit and eight drove
in at least one run. Pedroza joined Samuelson in finishing
3-for-5 with Horst and Dunbar each driving in two.
Penney
and freshman pitcher Joe Kelly combined to hold the Pilots
scoreless the last three innings to preserve the 13-5 UCR
win. Runzler (1-4) allowed three earned runs and struck out
six in five innings of work. Ari Ronick (2-1), who came in
with a 0.54 ERA, took the loss for Portland allowing seven
earned runs in four innings.
(March 12,
2007) - UC Riverside's Marc Rzepczynski
was named Big West Baseball Pitcher, for the week ending March
11.
In
UC Riverside's mid-week contest at No. 20 USC, Rzepczynski
tossed his first complete-game to guide the Highlanders to
a 4-1 win. The Yorba Linda native improved to 4-0 on the season
after striking out six and allowing just one run in Tuesday
night’s showdown. Last week’s performance lowered
his ERA to a team-leading 2.52.
(March 13,
2007) - Freshman 2B Bryan Horst delivered a two-out single
in the bottom of the tenth as UC Riverside rallied from a
3-1 deficit to San Diego State to win 4-3 in 10 innings on
a beautiful Tuesday night at the Riverside Sports Complex.
The Highlanders improve to 13-9 while the Aztecs fall to 12-11.
In
the fourth of five meetings this season between the two squads,
UCR led 1-0 but the Aztecs responded with three runs in the
eighth, only to see UCR score a run in the eighth and another
with two outs in the ninth to send the game into extra innings.
UCR put the winning run on third with two outs in the tenth
off Aaron Brady (1-3). Freshman 1B Mark Samuelson walked with
one out and went to second on a wild pitch. Sophomore DH Jordan
Opdyke moved him to third with a groundout to second. Junior
3B Ben Price then walked on four pitches to bring up Horst,
who stretched to slap a 1-1 pitch through the left side for
the game-winning single and complete the comeback.
Senior
LHP Marc Rzepczynski did not allow a hit until the fourth
inning, when a one-out bloop single by Nick Romero put runners
on first and second. A wild pitch moved the runners up but
Rzepczynski got out of it by inducing a groundout to second.
San Diego State threatened again in the sixth when Troy Hanzawa
chopped a double to left and advanced to third on a groundout.
Brandon Glover chopped it back to the pitcher for out number
two and Rzepczynski again escaped the inning unscathed when
he struck out Romero.
In
the home half of the sixth, sophomore CF Carl Uhl led off
with a sharp single through the right side and sophomore RF
Joey Gonzales extended his hitting streak to eight games with
a shot up the middle. Glover bobbled the ball in center, allowing
Gonzales and Uhl to move to second and third. SDSU reliever
J.R. Murphy came back to strike out junior SS Jaime Pedroza
but junior LF Aaron Wible brought home the first run with
an RBI groundout to third.
The
Aztecs got to Rzepczynski in the eighth when Garett Green
hit a one-out single and Hanzawa followed with a single to
right. A double-play ball to freshman 2B Bryan Horst would
have ended the inning but it went through his legs, allowing
one run to score and putting runners on second and third.
Glover then hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1. After a walk,
freshman RHP Joe Kelly relieved Rzepczynski but allowed another
run to score on a wild pitch before getting out of the inning.
Uhl
and Gonzales were at the center of UCR's eighth-inning rally.
Uhl was hit by Shane Kaufman and then Gonzales chopped a ball
over the first baseman to put runners on the corners. After
a strikeout, Wible walked to load the bases and Steve Strasburg
replaced Kaufman, striking out Samuelson. Opdyke came up as
a pinch-hitter and walked to bring home a run and cut the
lead to 3-2 but Strasburg struck out Price to end the inning.
The
Highlanders pushed across the tying run on in the ninth when
Uhl walked and stole second with two outs. That brought up
Gonzales, who sliced a 2-2 pitch into center field to bring
home Uhl for the third time. Gonzales went to second on the
play when left fielder Cameron Johnson let the ball get by
him. Pedroza struck out to end the inning.
San Diego State loaded the bases in the 10th on a single,
intentional walk, and hit-by-pitch but sophomore RHP Stephen
Penney got Johnson to ground out to second to keep it tied
at three.
The
top of the order got it done for UCR as Uhl was 1-for-2 with
a walk and three runs scored while Gonzales had his second
career three-hit game in a 3-for-5 effort. Horst also had
multiple hits, going 2-for-5.
Penney
(1-1) got his first career win, striking out one and walking
one in two-thirds of an inning. Rzepczynski threw 7 2/3 innings,
allowing three runs (all unearned) on four hits and three
walks. He struck out a career-high 10 and escaped his first
loss with UCR's ninth inning rally. Kelly bridged the two,
allowing two hits in an inning and two-thirds.
Brady
(1-3) took the loss by allowing the one run on a single hit
and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. SDSU starter Nate Solow
pitched five shutout innings, allowing three hits, a walk,
and striking out seven in the no-decision. Hanzawa was 3-for-5
with a double and a stolen base for SDSU.
(March 16,
2007) - UC Riverside pounded out 18 hits including a season-high
seven doubles and junior starting pitcher James Simmons returned
to form in an 11-8 win over Santa Clara University Friday
night at the Riverside Baseball Complex. Junior shortstop
Jaime Pedroza finished 3-for-4 and drove in five RBI with
a home run in support of Simmons who retired 17 in a row at
one point en route to picking his fifth win of the season.
The Highlanders (14-9) jumped all over Bronco starter Nate
Garcia with three runs coming across in the first. Sophomore
center fielder Carl Uhl led off with a walk and went first
to third on single from freshman right fielder Joey Gonzales.
Pedroza promptly smacked a double to right center to drive
in both runs to give UCR a 2-0 lead. Pedroza came home on
a RBI groundout from redshirt freshman first baseman Mark
Samuelson for a 3-0 Highlander lead. UCR exploded for five
runs in the fourth led off by junior designated hitter Mike
Vass's fifth home run of the year. Junior third baseman Ben
Price then doubled following the Vass homer and junior catcher
Jeff Dunbar later doubled Price home for a 5-0 Highlander
lead. Uhl followed up with a single to plate Dunbar, Pedroza
later hammered his fourth homer of the year, a two-run shot
high over the left-center field fence to give the Highlanders
a 8-0 lead.
Pedroza tied his own record, and team season high knocking
in his fifth RBI of the night with a double down the left
field line to score Uhl who led off the inning with a single
to increase the Highlander lead to 9-0.
Simmons (5-1), after allowing a first inning bunt single to
Matt Long, retired next 17 batters before Long singled up
the middle in the seventh to break up the streak. Long later
came around to score in the inning to put the Broncos on the
board. Simmons struggled in his past two outings against Oklahoma
and Portland but returned to what we're accustomed to. Simmons
scattered three hits, allowed one earned run, and finished
with seven strikeouts in seven innings.
Dunbar
added his added his first homer of the year in the seventh
bringing home freshman second baseman Bryan Horst for a 11-1
UCR lead.
Eight different Highlanders had a hit with Dunbar, Pedroza,
Wible, and Vass each picking up three hits apiece and Dunbar
also drove in three.
The
Broncos (13-12) made it a game late with five runs coming
across in the eighth and two more in the ninth off the Highlander
bullpen to cut the lead to 11-8. Sophomore pitcher Stephen
Penney picked up the final two outs to preserve the 11-8 Highlander
win. Garcia took the loss for the Broncos to drop to (2-3).
(March 17,
2007) - Junior shortstop Jaime Pedroza finished with four
hits and a homer for the second consecutive game as UC Riverside
held off Santa Clara University, 17-3 Saturday afternoon at
the Riverside Baseball Complex. Junior left fielder Aaron
Wible and senior first baseman Kyle Barratt also collected
four hits as the Highlanders set a school Division I record
with 24 hits improving to (15-9) and the Broncos fell to (13-13)
on the season.
Evan
LeBlanc got the Broncos on the board first with a solo homer
to left field in the second inning off of Highlander senior
starting pitcher Pat Cassa.
Junior
designated hitter Mike Vass answered back with his seventh
homer of the season in the Highlander half of the second to
tie the game at 1-1.
The
Highlanders took their first lead of the day in the fourth
inning after senior first baseman Kyle Barratt's pop fly single
that fell in between the Bronco right fielder and second baseman
allowing Pedroza to come across. Junior third baseman Ben
Price followed with a two-strike base hit to bring in Wible,
after he had doubled, to make it a 3-1 UCR lead.
The Broncos cut the UCR lead to 3-2 in the fifth, with a two-out
RBI single off the bat of Carl Bacon to score Tommy Medica.
Santa Clara then loaded the bases, but Cassa was able to end
the Bronco rally with a strikeout.
UCR picked up a couple insurance runs in the bottom of the
seventh on Pedroza's second homer in as many days. The two
run shot brought home sophomore center fielder Carl Uhl and
opened up 5-2 Highlander lead.
Santa Clara picked up a run off of Highlander reliever Stephen
Penney to cut it to 5-3 in the eighth before freshman Joe
Kelly came in got Matt Long to fly out to get out of a eighth
inning bases loaded jam.
UCR erupted for 12 runs in the eighth by batting around twice
including a stretch where fourteen consecutive Highlanders
reaching base. Gonzales, Barratt, Horst, and Dunbar each collected
two hits in the inning. Kelly held the lead, closing the door
in the ninth.
Cassa improved to (2-2) after leaving the game with one out
in sixth, allowing only two earned runs on seven hits and
striking out four. Bronco starter Matt Wickswat took the loss,
dropping to (4-3).
(March 18,
2007) - UC Riverside beat Santa Clara University 10-4 at the
Riverside Baseball Complex Sunday afternoon. The sixth, seventh,
and eighth place Highlander hitters did most of the damage,
combining for five hits and driving in five RBI. Junior shortstop
Jaime Pedroza continued his home run streak, homering for
the third consecutive day, finishing 3-for-5 with three RBI
as UCR (16-9) swept its second three game series of the year.
The
Broncos (13-14) opened the game with runs coming across in
the each of the first two innings to take a 2-0 lead. Santa
Clara scored their first run after loading the bases in the
first off of Highlander junior starting pitcher Dan Runzler
but was only able put one run on the board with a Ryan Conan
sacrifice fly. Jon Karcich added and RBI single to left in
the second that plated Evan LeBlanc. Runzler escaped further
damage after striking out Matt Long to end the inning.
UCR
answered back in their half of the second with redshirt freshman
designated hitter Mark Samuelson and senior first baseman
Kyle Barratt earning walks to start the inning. Junior third
baseman Ben Price sacrificed both runners up a base for freshman
second baseman Bryan Horst, who lined a single up the middle
to bring home Samuelson and Barratt and tie the game at 2-2.
Horst picked up his third RBI of the game in the fourth to
give the Highlanders their first lead of the day, 3-2, on
a pop-fly single down the right field line that scored Barratt.
The
Broncos answered right back with a four straight hits to lead
off the fifth, a RBI single by Ryan Conan and another run
came across when Kevin Madden grounded into a double-play
to give Santa Clara the lead again, 4-3. Runzler struck out
Karcich to end the inning with a runner stranded at third.
Freshman Joey Gonzales's double knocked out Santa Clara starter
Justin Kuehn in the fifth and Pedroza singled to right to
set up runners on first and third for UCR. Junior leftfielder
Aaron Wible tied the game with a sacrifice fly to Gonzales.
The next batter, Samuelson then doubled down the right field
line to score Pedroza all the way from first to make the game,
5-4. UCR had runners on second and third after Barratt's fly
ball was lost in the sun by Bronco centerfielder Kevin Madden.
Price then singled through the right side of a drawn-in Santa
Clara infield to score both runners and give the Highlanders
a 7-4 lead.
UCR picked up another run in sixth on a Pedroza's two-out
RBI single to score Gonzales and increase the Highlander lead
to 8-4. Pedroza put the game away in the eighth with his sixth
homer of the season, a two-run shot, for a 10-4 UCR lead.
Runzler (2-4) finished with two earned runs allowed on eight
hits and struck out two in five and two-thirds to pick up
his second win of the season. Freshman Joe Kelly pitched three
and a third scoreless innings of relief to preserve the win
and pick up his first career save for the Highlanders. Steve
Kalush (1-1) took the loss for the Broncos.
(March 19,
2007) - UC Riverside sophomore shortstop Jaime Pedroza capped
off his spectacular weekend by being named Big West Player
of the Week Monday.
Pedroza helped lead the
Highlanders to a three-game series sweep over Santa Clara
University, hitting .555 with 11 RBI and three home runs while
slugging 1.167. On Friday, Pedroza went 3-for-4 with two doubles,
a home run and tied his career and season-high with five RBI
in UC Riverside's 11-8 win over Santa Clara. He followed that
with a 4-for-5 effort, his second career four-hit game, and
another home run with three RBI on Saturday. The Covina, Calif.,
native closed out the weekend by homering in his third straight
game and went 3-for-5 for his team-leading 13th multi-hit
and seventh multi-RBI game. He is tied for the team-high with
a new career-high six home runs and leads UCR with 29 RBI,
two off his career-high.
"Jaime had one of the
best weekends I have ever seen," UCR Head Coach Doug
Smith said.
(March 27,
2007) - UC Riverside saw its five-game winning streak come
to an end with an 8-3 loss to #25 USC Tuesday evening in front
of 702 fans at the Riverside Sports Complex. The Highlanders
fall to 16-10 while the Trojans split the season series to
improve to 18-12.
The Trojans took advantage
of UCR's nine-day finals layoff to jump on top 6-0 in the
first two innings. Lucas Duda's flare single to left in the
first staked USC to a 1-0 lead and the visitors added to it
with five runs in the second. After Matt Cusick's RBI single
made it 2-0, Grant Green's two-run triple doubled the Trojan
advantage. Robert Stock followed with an RBI single through
the right side and Duda made it 6-0 two batters later with
his second RBI single.
The Highlanders struck back
with three runs in the third. Sophomore CF Carl Uhl led off
with a single to left center and went to third on freshman
RF Joey Gonzales' single that extended his season-high hitting
streak to 12 games. Junior SS Jaime Pedroza then got UCR on
the board with a sacrifice fly that scored Uhl. Redshirt freshman
1B Mark Samuelson followed with a towering home run to right,
his third of the year, that made it 6-3.
UCR's rally would stall
and the Trojans added a single run in the fourth and another
in the seventh to put the game out of reach.
Junior LHP Dan Runzler took
the loss for UCR, falling to 2-5. Runzler lasted just three
innings, allowing six runs on nine hits and striking out four
in two innings. Uhl finished with three hits while Samuelson
went 2-for-4.
Ryan Cook (4-1) grabbed
the win in 5 1/3 innings of work. He allowed three runs on
eight hits and struck out four. Both teams used five pitchers.
Duda went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI while Cusick, Green,
and Stock each went 2-for-5.
(March 30,
2007) - UC Riverside junior RHP James Simmons tossed a complete
game three-hitter as UC Riverside defeated UC Davis 4-1 Friday
afternoon at Dobbins Stadium in Davis, CA. The Highlanders
improve to 17-10 while the Aggies fall to 8-15.
Simmons was as dominating
as he's been all season, striking out five and walking none
to improve to 6-1 with his third complete game of the year.
He threw just 101 pitches (71 for strikes) and went to two-ball
counts on just ten hitters and never went to a three-ball
count.
Simmons retired the game's
first 11 batters before giving up a two-out single to Daniel
Descalso in the fourth inning but then retired the next 12
batters until hitting Kevin James in the eighth. He allowed
the lone run in the ninth when Matt Dempsey led off with an
infield single and moved to second on an error by junior 2B
Ben Price. Two batters later, Simmons thought he had ended
the game with a double play ball but Ryan Royster beat it
out at first, leading to Aaron Hanke's RBI single that plated
Dempsey for an unearned run.
The Highlanders gave Simmons
a 1-0 lead before he even took the mound when junior LF Aaron
Wible singled home freshman RF Joey Gonzales, who had singled
and stole second earlier in the first inning. Redshirt freshman
Mark Samuelson made it 2-0 in the fifth, leading off the inning
with a solo home run to right, his fourth of the season and
second in as many games.
UCR tacked on two more runs
in the seventh. Junior SS Jaime Pedroza led off with a single
and was sacrificed to second by Wible. Samuelson then came
through with an RBI single and moved to second on the throw
home. Price brought home Samuelson with a two-out single to
left.
Trevor Fox (3-4) took the
loss for the Aggies, allowing four runs on six hits and striking
out four in a complete game effort.
Samuelson went 2-for-4 with
two RBI to lead the Highlanders. Gonzales finished 1-for-4
to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.
The pitchers' duel lasted
just 1:45, the fastest nine-inning game by time in UCR history.
The time tied the UCR record for fastest game at the Division
I level, although the previous record, on February 12, 2005
against Nevada, was achieved in seven innings. The all-time
record of 1:41, also against UC Davis in 1999, was also achieved
in seven innings.
(March 31,
2007) - UC Riverside senior LHP Marc Rzepczynski struck out
a career-high 11 batters and the Highlanders pounded out 14
hits in a 12-3 victory over UC Davis Saturday afternoon at
Dobbins Stadium in Davis, CA. The Highlanders win the series
and improve to 18-10 while the Aggies fall to 8-16.
UCR jumped out to a 3-0
lead in the second inning when junior C Jeff Dunbar delivered
a bases loaded double that brought home the game's first two
runs. Sophomore CF Carl Uhl followed with an RBI groundout.
The Highlanders added a
run in the fourth without making contact. With two outs, freshman
RF Joey Gonzales walked and advanced to second on an error
by pitcher Brad McAtee. McAtee then walked Pedroza and was
replaced by Scott Chew. Chew hit freshman 1B Mark Samuelson
with his first pitch and then walked junior LF Aaron Wible
to force in a run.
UC Davis pulled close with
three runs in the fifth off Rzepczynski. Matt Dempsey reach
on a single and moved to second on an error by Pedroza. After
being sacrificed to third, Dempsey came home on a single by
Ryan Royster. Brandon Oliver singled to put runners on first
and third and then Daniel Descalso made it 4-3 with a two-run
triple to left center. With the tying run on third, Rzepczynski
struck out Aaron Hanke to end the threat.
UCR extended its lead right
away with four runs in the top of the sixth, again plating
all the runs with two outs. Pedroza and Samuelson each walked
off Chew, marking the end of his day. Bryan Evans came on
in relief and gave up a run-scoring single to Wible. Freshman
DH Ryan Goetz doubled home Samuelson and a walk loaded the
bases for senior 3B Kyle Barratt, who delivered a two-run
single to left that made it 8-3.
From there, the Highlanders
never looked back, scoring three more runs in the seventh
and another run in the eighth. Samuelson highlighted the seventh
with a two-run double and Gonzales extended his hitting streak
to 14 games with an RBI double in the eighth.
Rzepczynski went six innings,
allowing six hits and three runs to improve to 5-0 on the
season. He topped his previous career of 10 strikeouts and
walked just one. Three Highlander relievers combined to allow
two hits over the final three innings.
Goetz had his first career
three-hit game with a 3-for-4 effort with two RBI and two
runs scored. Samuelson went 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI and
three walks, scoring two runs. Dunbar also had two hits and
two ribbies while junior 2B Ben Price reached base four times
on two hits and two walks.
McAtee (1-2) took the loss,
allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and five walks
in 3 2/3 innings. The Aggies issued 13 walks on the day. Dempsey
led the Davis offense with a 3-for-4 outing.
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