April 17, 2007
Box Score
Stockton, Calif. - For the fifth time this season the Pacific baseball team earned a come from behind victory as the Tigers rallied from a 7-1 deficit to defeat San Jose State, 10-9, on Tuesday, April 17.
With the win the Tigers moved to 10-28-1 on the season, while San Jose State fell to 22-16 overall.
Down 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning, sophomore Joe Oliveira (San Diego, Calif.) put the Tigers on the board with his second home run of the season.
In the top of the fourth the Spartans added four more runs to extend their lead to 7-1.
The Tigers have made a habit in the 2007 season of coming back from large deficits as Pacific has erased leads of six runs or more on three occasions.
Junior John Joines (Milpitas, Calif.) got Pacific rolling for another large comeback in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out walk. Freshman Josh Powers (Elk Grove, Calif.) put runners at first and second with the second walk of the inning. The number nine hitter, junior Denis Hill (Pleasant Hill, Calif.) bounced a single up the middle to drive home Joines. An errant throw from San Jose State center fielder Donatto Giovanatto allowed Powers to score and sent Hill to second as the Tigers cut the lead to 7-3. A short single to right off the bat of Oliveira moved Hill to third, then freshman Matt Fuson (Lodi, Calif.) plated Hill on an infield single.
Down 7-4 in the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers continued to stalk the Spartans with two more runs on three hits and an error.
Freshman Mike Walker (Marysville, Calif.) got the Tigers rolling in the fifth with a single to center. After a fielder's choice by junior Greg Murray (El Cerrito, Calif.) forced Walker at second, junior Brett Manning (Boulder, Colo.) reached on an error to put runners at first and third. A short single to third from Joines chased Murray home to make it 7-5. One out later, Hill drove in Manning with a single to right field to pull the Tigers within a run at 7-6.
San Jose State added single runs in the top of the sixth and the top of the eighth to push their lead back to three runs at 9-6.
With one out in the eighth, Hill started another rally for the Tigers as he slapped his third hit of the game up the middle. A walk to Joe Oliveira brought the tying run to the plate for the Tigers. Fuson popped out to short right field for the second out, bringing sophomore Zach Chamberlin (San Rafael, Calif.) to bat. Chamberlin brought Pacific within two runs as he ripped a single into right to chase Hill around the bases and send Oliveira to third.
With the game on the line the Tigers sent junior Justin Baum (La Mesa, Calif.) to the plate. Baum rocketed a ground ball to shortstop that went threw the legs of Kyle Bellows, allowing Oliveira to score and sending Chamberlin to third. The next Pacific batter, Murray, launched a two-run triple off the left field wall to bring in both Chamberlin and Baum and give the Tigers their first lead of the game at 10-9.
Pacific sophomore Cole Akins (Seattle, Wash.) earned the victory (1-2) as he allowed one run on two hits in one inning of relief.
San Jose State's Loren Moneypenny (3-6) suffered the loss by allowing one run on one hit in one-third of an inning.
Sophomore Casey Neimeyer (Woodland, Calif.) grabbed his first career save for the Tigers with a perfect ninth inning.
Hill and Oliveira led the Tigers' offense with three hits each. Hill finished the day, 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Pacific returns to the diamond on Friday, April 20 as the Tigers head to Fullerton, Calif. to take on the No. 17 Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m.
