Sunday, May 23
Irvine, CA
1:00 PM
UC Riverside
6
at
9
UC Irvine
Photo by: Ross French
Highlanders Rally From Nine Down Comes Up Short In 9-6 Loss At Irvine
5/23/2010 3:07:49 PM | Baseball
UC Irvine 9, UC Riverside 6 Box Score
Irvine, CA—One day after UC Riverside pounded out 18 hits and scored 15 runs, UC Irvine starter Eric Pettis (8-3) limited the Highlanders to four hits through the first seven innings and held on for a 9-6 win. The loss dropped UCR to 29-21 overall and 11-9 in the Big West while the 25th ranked Anteaters improved to 34-18 and 14-7.
In the first inning, the Highlanders offense looked like it was going to pick up right where it left off Saturday afternoon. Brian McConkey singled to start the game off, but a strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play cleared the base paths. Michael Hur and Robert Brantly followed with singles, but Justin Shults's pop up to short stranded runners at the corners.
Pettis settled down after the first, and didn't give up another hit to the Highlanders until Eddie Young opened the fifth inning with a single to left. By that time, UC Irvine led 3-0 thanks to an RBI single in the third from Brian Hernandez and RBI singles from D.J. Crumlich and Sean Madigan in the fourth. All three of those runs scored with two outs.
UC Riverside went in order in the sixth and seventh innings, and the Anteaters broke the game open right after the seventh inning stretch. It was already 4-0 at that point as Ronnie Shaeffer's sacrifice fly scored Francis Larson in the UC Irvine half of the sixth. Matt Larkins (6-4) was still on the mound for UC Riverside to start the seventh, but he lasted just two batters as Madigan started things off with a walk, and Casey Stevenson gave the Anteaters a 6-0 lead by depositing a Larkins offering over the right field fence.
Mike Wolford came on in relief, but didn't fare much better as Hernandez greeted him with a solo shot to center to make it 7-0 UC Irvine. After recording the next two outs, Wolford gave up a single to center to Larson and Drew Hillman followed with a home run to left for a 9-0 Anteaters advantage. Derek Speigner took over for Wolford and picked up the final out of the inning on a grounder to short.
UC Riverside's bats finally came alive in the top of the eighth inning. McConkey got things started drawing a one-out walk, and Joey Gonzales's single to right moved McConkey to third. Hur's sac fly to right put the Highlanders on the board, and Brantly's single put runners on first and second for Shults. His single to right made it 9-2 Anteaters, and Tony Nix's double down the left field line cut the lead to 9-4.
In the top of the ninth, Dan Pellegrino laced a pinch-hit single through the right side of the infield, and Trent Jemmett gave the Highlanders runners on second and third after an error by UCI center fielder Matt Summers. McConkey singled to center scoring Pellegrino, and Gonzales reached on a fielder choice that scored Jemmett. That was all UC Riverside could manage, however, as Pettis worked his way out of the jam for the complete-game victory.
The Highlanders have five games this week beginning with a Tuesday afternoon contest at Cal State Northridge. First pitch is slated for 3 pm PT. No. 15 San Diego comes to the Riverside Sports Complex on Wednesday, and UC Riverside's regular season comes to an end with a three-game weekend conference series with UC Davis.
Irvine, CA—One day after UC Riverside pounded out 18 hits and scored 15 runs, UC Irvine starter Eric Pettis (8-3) limited the Highlanders to four hits through the first seven innings and held on for a 9-6 win. The loss dropped UCR to 29-21 overall and 11-9 in the Big West while the 25th ranked Anteaters improved to 34-18 and 14-7.
In the first inning, the Highlanders offense looked like it was going to pick up right where it left off Saturday afternoon. Brian McConkey singled to start the game off, but a strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play cleared the base paths. Michael Hur and Robert Brantly followed with singles, but Justin Shults's pop up to short stranded runners at the corners.
Pettis settled down after the first, and didn't give up another hit to the Highlanders until Eddie Young opened the fifth inning with a single to left. By that time, UC Irvine led 3-0 thanks to an RBI single in the third from Brian Hernandez and RBI singles from D.J. Crumlich and Sean Madigan in the fourth. All three of those runs scored with two outs.
UC Riverside went in order in the sixth and seventh innings, and the Anteaters broke the game open right after the seventh inning stretch. It was already 4-0 at that point as Ronnie Shaeffer's sacrifice fly scored Francis Larson in the UC Irvine half of the sixth. Matt Larkins (6-4) was still on the mound for UC Riverside to start the seventh, but he lasted just two batters as Madigan started things off with a walk, and Casey Stevenson gave the Anteaters a 6-0 lead by depositing a Larkins offering over the right field fence.
Mike Wolford came on in relief, but didn't fare much better as Hernandez greeted him with a solo shot to center to make it 7-0 UC Irvine. After recording the next two outs, Wolford gave up a single to center to Larson and Drew Hillman followed with a home run to left for a 9-0 Anteaters advantage. Derek Speigner took over for Wolford and picked up the final out of the inning on a grounder to short.
UC Riverside's bats finally came alive in the top of the eighth inning. McConkey got things started drawing a one-out walk, and Joey Gonzales's single to right moved McConkey to third. Hur's sac fly to right put the Highlanders on the board, and Brantly's single put runners on first and second for Shults. His single to right made it 9-2 Anteaters, and Tony Nix's double down the left field line cut the lead to 9-4.
In the top of the ninth, Dan Pellegrino laced a pinch-hit single through the right side of the infield, and Trent Jemmett gave the Highlanders runners on second and third after an error by UCI center fielder Matt Summers. McConkey singled to center scoring Pellegrino, and Gonzales reached on a fielder choice that scored Jemmett. That was all UC Riverside could manage, however, as Pettis worked his way out of the jam for the complete-game victory.
The Highlanders have five games this week beginning with a Tuesday afternoon contest at Cal State Northridge. First pitch is slated for 3 pm PT. No. 15 San Diego comes to the Riverside Sports Complex on Wednesday, and UC Riverside's regular season comes to an end with a three-game weekend conference series with UC Davis.
Day in the Life: Leilani Juan
Monday, May 04
UCR Student-Athletes cheer on our students.
Friday, May 01
UCR Athletics Director Introductory Full Press Conference
Tuesday, March 24
Athletics Director Greg Paules Introductory Presentation Recap
Tuesday, March 24
