Friday, May 19
UC Riverside
7
vs
1
Long Beach State
Bills and Bigler Lift UCR, 7-1 Over LBSU
5/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Junior RHP Taylor Bills threw his second complete game of the season and junior CF Brett Bigler drove in three runs as UC Riverside defeated Long Beach State 7-1 in Friday's opener of a Big West Conference series at the Riverside Sports Complex. The Highlanders win their fourth consecutive game to improve to 28-21, 8-8 BWC while the 49ers fall to 27-24, 10-6.
Making his first Friday start of the season due to sophomore RHP James Simmons' illness, Bills allowed an RBI single to Evan Longoria in the top of the first inning. He locked himself in after that, striking out a season-high seven batters for his fifth career complete game. The 49ers twice put runners on second and third but Bills got out of each jam.
LBSU pitcher Andrew Carpenter (7-3) held UCR in check for the first four innings, as following a leadoff walk, he retired 11 in a row before his no-hitter was broken up in the fourth with an infield single. UCR would get to Carpenter in the fifth, giving Bills all the run support he would need by pushing across four runs. With one out, sophomore 2B Drew Garcia singled up the middle and sophomore SS Jaime Pedroza followed with a single to right. Senior RF Aaron Grant loaded the bases with a single of his own, bringing up Bigler, who chopped the first pitch he saw down the rightfield line for a two-run double. A fielding error off the bat of senior 3B Brian Steinmeyer brought home the third run and junior LF D.J. Hollingsworth hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Bigler and make it 4-1.
The Highlanders tacked on two more runs in the seventh off Carpenter. With two outs, Steinmeyer walked and moved to second on Hollingsworth's single to the pitcher. Junior 1B Kyle Barratt took Carpenter's next offering and drove it to left for a single that brought home Steinmeyer. Two pitches later, junior DH Nick Salotti sent a single to right, plating Hollingsworth.
Bigler completed the scoring in the eighth, hitting an RBI single up the middle to finish off his team-leading 10th multi-RBI game of the season. Bigler went 2-for-5 with a run scored and stole his 24th base of the season, leaving him one shy of UCR's Division I single-season record.
Pedroza, Hollingsworth, and Barratt all went 2-for-4 as the Highlanders banged out 11 hits. UCR's 2-6 hitters accounted for all of the team's RBI as Steinmeyer, Hollingsworth, Barratt, and Salotti each drove in one apiece.
Carpenter, also making his first Friday start of the season, gave took his first loss since March 25, giving up six runs (five earned) on nine hits over seven innings. He struck out eight. Matt Cline collected three of Long Beach's six hits.
The victory snapped UCR's five-game losing streak to the 49ers and was just the Highlanders' third win over LBSU since 2001.
Making his first Friday start of the season due to sophomore RHP James Simmons' illness, Bills allowed an RBI single to Evan Longoria in the top of the first inning. He locked himself in after that, striking out a season-high seven batters for his fifth career complete game. The 49ers twice put runners on second and third but Bills got out of each jam.
LBSU pitcher Andrew Carpenter (7-3) held UCR in check for the first four innings, as following a leadoff walk, he retired 11 in a row before his no-hitter was broken up in the fourth with an infield single. UCR would get to Carpenter in the fifth, giving Bills all the run support he would need by pushing across four runs. With one out, sophomore 2B Drew Garcia singled up the middle and sophomore SS Jaime Pedroza followed with a single to right. Senior RF Aaron Grant loaded the bases with a single of his own, bringing up Bigler, who chopped the first pitch he saw down the rightfield line for a two-run double. A fielding error off the bat of senior 3B Brian Steinmeyer brought home the third run and junior LF D.J. Hollingsworth hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Bigler and make it 4-1.
The Highlanders tacked on two more runs in the seventh off Carpenter. With two outs, Steinmeyer walked and moved to second on Hollingsworth's single to the pitcher. Junior 1B Kyle Barratt took Carpenter's next offering and drove it to left for a single that brought home Steinmeyer. Two pitches later, junior DH Nick Salotti sent a single to right, plating Hollingsworth.
Bigler completed the scoring in the eighth, hitting an RBI single up the middle to finish off his team-leading 10th multi-RBI game of the season. Bigler went 2-for-5 with a run scored and stole his 24th base of the season, leaving him one shy of UCR's Division I single-season record.
Pedroza, Hollingsworth, and Barratt all went 2-for-4 as the Highlanders banged out 11 hits. UCR's 2-6 hitters accounted for all of the team's RBI as Steinmeyer, Hollingsworth, Barratt, and Salotti each drove in one apiece.
Carpenter, also making his first Friday start of the season, gave took his first loss since March 25, giving up six runs (five earned) on nine hits over seven innings. He struck out eight. Matt Cline collected three of Long Beach's six hits.
The victory snapped UCR's five-game losing streak to the 49ers and was just the Highlanders' third win over LBSU since 2001.
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
