March 12, 2006

Box Score

Waco, Texas - The Pacific baseball team suffered a 13-9 loss to Michigan on Sunday, Mar. 12.

With the loss the Tigers fell to 11-6 on the season, while Michigan moved to 4-6.

Pacific broke out on top in the bottom of the first inning as sophomore Adam Ching (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) led of with a single up the middle. A sacrifice bunt from senior Anthony Jackson (Modesto, Calif.) sent Ching to second, then senior Matt Berezay (Modesto, Calif.) followed with an RBI double into right field to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. One out later, sophomore Brett Manning (Boulder, Colo.) extended the Pacific lead to 2-0 with an RBI single into right field.

Michigan, however, answered in the top of the second as the Wolverines scored five runs on five hits, highlighted by a two-run home run off the bat of left fielder Derek VanBuskirk.

Pacific responded in their half of the second with a single run as junior Clint Eastman (Pleasanton, Calif.) led of with a single, then senior Bob Saunders (Oakland, Calif.) followed with a single to left field, putting runners on first and second. Eastman advanced to third as freshman Alex Zanini (Stockton, Calif.) bounced into a double play, but Ching picked up the Tigers with an RBI double down the right field line to plate Eastman, cutting the Michigan lead to 5-3.

The Tigers continued to chip away in the fourth inning as senior Ramon Glasgow (Stockton, Calif.) stroked a one-out single into center field. Manning followed with a single to right, sending Glasgow to third. One out later, senior Jordan Seiber (Seatac, Wash.) lined an RBI single into right field to pull the Tigers within a run at 5-4.

In the fifth the Tigers reclaimed the lead with their own five-run inning, scoring five runs on five hits. Ching got the Tigers rally started with a single up the middle, then Jackson followed with a single through the right side. Ching took third on a deep fly out from Berezay, then Glasgow delivered an RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 5-5. The next Pacific batter, Manning, bounced an infield single down the third base line to bring in Jackson and give the Tigers a 6-5 lead. Seiber, followed with Tigers big blow of the inning, a three-run home run over the left-center field wall to push the Pacific lead to 9-5.

Unfortunately, the Wolverines were able to bounce back with two runs in the sixth, and single runs in the seventh and eighth inning, then exploded for four runs in the top of the ninth to take the game, 13-9.

Junior Curtis Pasma (Madera, Calif.) suffered the loss, dropping to 2-2 on the season as he allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits in 1.1 innings pitched.

Michigan's Craig Murry (2-0) picked up the victory with five innings of scoreless relief.

The Tigers will be back in action on Friday, Mar. 17 as Pacific travels to Berkeley, Calif. to take on the California Golden Bears at 2 p.m.