March 16, 2007

Box Score

San Jose, Calif. - The Pacific baseball team took an early 5-0 advantage, holding off San Jose State for a 5-3 victory in the opener of a three-game non-conference baseball series at Municipal Stadium on Friday, March 16.

With the victory in the first meeting between the teams since the 2000 season, Pacific snaps a four-game losing skid and improves to 6-15-1 while San Jose State falls to 12-8 on the year.

Pacific third baseman Justin Baum (San Diego, Calif.) hit a solo home run, his fourth of the year, with two outs in the top of the first inning to open the scoring on the night. First baseman Kurt Wideman (Fallbrook, Calif.) then provided a two-run shot following a walk to rightfielder Zach Chamberlin (San Rafael, Calif.) to begin the second frame. Wideman later added a solo shot to lead off the fourth, giving him three on the season.

A Baum leadoff single in the fifth, and a Chamberlin double with one out made it a 5-0 ballgame, before the Spartans began their fight back.

An error led to an unearned run to put San Jose State on the board in the sixth. Senior leftfielder Aaron Loewenthal hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, to get within two at 5-3.

Loren Moneypenny (2-2) took the loss for San Jose State, striking out six over the first 3.2 innings, but allowing all three Pacific home runs. Hennessey allowed three hits and one run over 2.1 frames.

For Pacific, freshman left-handed starter David Rowse (Pleasanton, Calif.) allowed nine hits and three runs, two of them earned, over 7.1 innings in picking up the win (2-3). He walked one and struck out three. Senior Jason Haar (San Diego, Calif.) finished the eighth and sophomore Cole Akins (Seattle, Wash.) retired the side in order in the ninth for his first save of 2007.

Baum and Wideman had two hits and two runs apiece, with Wideman driving in three runs.

The Spartans out-hit Pacific, 10-7, but went 0-for-7 at the plate with runners in scoring position, and stranded 12 runners, including the bases loaded in both the second and seventh innings. The two teams combined to go 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position and strand 20 runners.

San Jose State and Pacific continue the three-game series on Saturday, March 17. First pitch at San Jose Municipal Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m. The contest is expected to feature a duel of freshman right-handers, with Spencer Snodgrass (1-2, 4.15) the probable starter for the Spartans against Pacific's Hunter Carnevale (2-2, 3.06).