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(March 29, 2008) - UC Riverside
dropped the first two games of their three-game Big West Conference
series with UC Santa Barbara, 7-6 in eight innings and 6-2
at Amy S. Harrison Field Saturday afternoon. Seniors Kristie
Martinez and April Murray each collected three hits on the
day for the Highlanders (14-21, 0-2 Big West) including a
solo homerun in game two by Martinez.
In the first game of the
day, UCR rallied back from a 6-0 deficit with three runs in
the fifth and three more with two outs in the seventh, to
send the game into extra innings. The Highlanders received
a two-run single from Martinez and junior first baseman Katie
Curtis came home on a UCSB wild pitch in the fifth to cut
the Gaucho lead to 6-3.
The Riverside rally continued
in the seventh as Murray started the inning by earning a walk.
Senior Roni Yee then reached on an infield single. Two batters
later, Martinez walked to load the bases for freshman Taylor
Thomas. Then, with two outs and a 1-1 count, Thomas jumped
all over a pitch, just barely missing a walk-off grand slam
and doubling off of the left field fence. All three runners
scored easily, tying the game at 6-6 and sending the two teams
into extras.
UCSB rallied quickly, using
a two-out RBI single from Jessica Beristianos in the eighth,
to bring home the eventual game-winning run. UCR continued
to fight as Caitlin Marsh led off the eighth with a pinch-hit
single, but the Gauchos were able to end the Highlander bid
for another comeback by retiring the next three hitters to
pick up the 7-6 victory.
Junior Amanda Klimczak (3-2)
suffered the loss after producing 4.2 innings of solid relief
that held down the Santa Barbara offense long enough for the
Highlanders to make their comeback. Yee recorded two hits
and Curtis scored two runs for UCR. Martinez and Thomas finished
the game with two and three RBI, respectively.
In game two, UCR jumped
out to a 1-0 lead after freshman Brooke Hebenton’s sacrifice
fly brought Thomas home in the second. UCSB countered with
two runs in their half of the third.The left-handed hitting
Martinez evened the score for the Highlanders in the fourth
with an opposite field blast, her third of the season.
That would be as close as
UCR would get as Santa Barbara scored four runs in the final
two innings to pick up the 6-2 win. The deciding blow came
on a three-run homer from UCSB’s Tisha Duran in the
seventh.
Sophomore starting pitcher
Marissa Alvidrez (4-6) took the loss, allowing six earned
in her seven inning effort. Martinez finished the day with
three RBI and Murray picked up hits in each contest to extend
her hitting streak to a team-best 12 straight games with a
hit.
Tiffany Wright led the Gauchos
with six hits and four RBI on the day including a 5-for-5
performance in game one.
UCR wraps up their series
with UCSB with a single game at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
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