May 4, 2007
Box Score
Riverside, Calif. - The Pacific baseball team lost a heartbreaker to UC Riverside by a score of 5-4 in extra innings on May 4, coming up just one out short of ending the Highlanders seven game winning streak. With the loss the Tigers fell to 10-36-1 on the season, while the Highlanders advanced to 29-17.
After both teams were held scoreless for the first three innings, the Tigers were first to get on the board as they took advantage of a fielding error committed by the Highlanders outfield in the top of the fourth. On the error, Joe Oliveira (San Diego, Calif.) made his way around to third and was later batted in when Zach Chamberlin (San Rafael, Calif.) doubled down the right field line.
In the bottom of the fourth, Riverside was quick to answer as Mike Vass tripled to center field and scored on a throwing error, bringing home Mark Samuelson in the process. After the Tigers stopped the bleeding, they eventually headed into the fifth down by just a run.
In the top of the fifth, David Flaherty (Alamo, Calif.) singled up the middle, advanced to second on a single by Brett Manning (Boulder, Colo.), and later scored on a passed ball to tie the game up at 2-2. However, the Highlanders would also score in the fifth to maintain their one run lead.
After Matt Fuson (Lodi, Calif.), Justin Baum (La Mesa, Calif.), and Jason Haar (San Diego, Calif.) strung together three hits to score two runs in the top of the sixth, it looked like the Tigers would go on to win. The Highlanders had other plans though, and they somehow mustered up two runs over the course of the ninth and tenth innings to win the game 5-4 and to maintain their lead in the Big West Conference.
Jake Wild (Kingsburg, Calif.) took the loss for the Tigers, while the Highlander's Matt Montgomery received the win. Pacific recorded four runs on nine hits and two errors. UC Riverside recorded five runs on ten hits and two errors.
The Tigers will next be in action on May 5, when they take on the Highlanders in game two of the three game series at 6:00 p.m. The game will be played in Riverside, Calif.
