UC Riverside Baseball Falls 6-4 At No. 10 Cal State Fullerton

Friday, May 7

Fullerton, CA

7:00 PM

UC Riverside

Cal State Fullerton

UC Riverside Baseball Falls 6-4 At No. 10 Cal State Fullerton

5/7/2010 7:26:02 PM | Baseball

No. 10 Cal State Fullerton 6, UC Riverside 4 Box Score

Fullerton, CA—Tenth-ranked Cal State Fullerton (28-14, 13-3) scored five runs in the first three innings and held on for a 6-4 win over UC Riverside (23-16, 7-6) Friday evening.

The Titans put two on the board in the bottom of the first on just one hit. UC Riverside starter Matt Andriese (4-4) plunked the first hitter, Christian Colon, and gave up an infield single to Gary Brown. Tyler Pill then reached on a throwing error by Bryan Horst which scored Colon. Nick Ramirez followed with a sac fly to left to make it a 2-0 ballgame.

Cal State Fullerton scored two more times in the bottom of the second. Corey Jones reached on an infield single to short, and after Anthony Hutting sacrificed Jones to second, Richie Pedroza singled to short as well. Colon followed with a grounder to short, but Trevor Hairgrove couldn't handle it and Jones came home with the Titans third run of the game. Brown doubled to center scoring Pedroza before the Highlanders were able to work their way out of the inning.

In the bottom of the third, Cal State Fullerton strung together two singles and a sac fly to take a five run lead.

The Highlanders finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth when Tony Nix laced a two-out offering over the left field fence for his fourth homer of the season.

Andriese settled down in the fourth and fifth facing the minimum six batters, and in the top of the sixth the UCR offensive cut the Titans lead in half. Joey Gonzales beat out an infield single, and Michael Hur ripped his seventh homer of the season over the left field wall.

After the Titans got one run back in the bottom of the sixth, the Highlanders loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh, but Hur struck out and Robert Brantly grounded out to second and the Highlanders found themselves still trailing 6-3.

One inning later, the Highlanders pushed an unearned run across the plate as Nix reached on a fielding error by second baseman Matt Orloff, advanced to second on a wild pitch and came home on an Eddie Young single. Horst walked to give UC Riverside runners at first and second with one out, and the Titans brought Nick Ramirez in from first to close things out. He got Hairgrove to pop out to the catcher and struck out Brian McConkey to end the threat.

Ramirez retired the Highlanders in order in the top of the ninth to earn his sixth save of the season.

Game two of the three game-series with the Titans begins Saturday, May 8 at 6 pm. Dustin Emmons gets the start for the Highlanders while Cal State Fullerton counters with Daniel Renken.