May 10, 2008

Box Score

Irvine, Calif. - The Pacific baseball team upended No. 10 UC Irvine 10-9 in 10 innings at Anteater Ballpark on Saturday, May 10. The Tigers improve to 11-36, 3-17 in Big West Conference play, while the Anteaters fall to 32-13, 9-8 in league games.

After allowing five ninth inning runs to tie the score at 9-9, the Tigers struck for a two-out run in the top of the 10th. Junior Joe Oliveira (San Diego, Calif.) walked and stole second, then was singled home by senior Adam Ching (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.).

The Tigers jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first two innings, scoring four in the first and two in the second. After being held to three hits in Friday's game, the Tigers' first three hitters delivered hits to take a 1-0 lead. Oliveira and Ching hit back-to-back singles, then sophomore Mike Walker (Marysville, Calif.) doubled to left-center to knock in Oliveira. A sacrifice fly by freshman Nick Longmire (San Diego, Calif.) made it 2-0, and a two-out two-run single by senior Brett Manning (Boulder, Colo.) took the lead to 4-0. In the second inning, Longmire hit a two-run home run to center field, making the score 6-0.

Pacific added a pair of runs in the seventh inning, scoring on a bases loaded walk to junior Kurt Wideman (Fallbrook, Calif.) and a sacrifice fly by Manning. The Anteaters struck back in the bottom of the seventh with a lead-off home run by Casey Stevenson and runs on RBI singles from Sean Madigan and Dillon Bell, and a sacrifice fly from Francis Larson to cut the lead to 8-4.

The Tigers got another run in the eighth on an RBI single from Walker to take a 9-4 advantage. The Anteaters got a home run from Larson in the bottom of the ninth to make it 9-5. Larson's home run started a run of seven straight Anteaters reaching base, capped by a three-run double by Brock Bardeen to make it 9-9.

Tiger starter Mark McCain (Dallas, Texas) went six innings for the Tigers, allowing three runs (one earned). Junior Cole Akins (Seattle, Wash.) allowed one unearned run in two innings of work. Freshman Thomas Berolzheimer (Stockton, Calif.) allowed all five ninth inning runs to the Anteaters and picked up the win for the Tigers to improve to 1-2 on the year. Sophomore David Rowse (Pleasanton, Calif.) pitched a scoreless 10th inning to pick up his first save of the season.

UC Irvine starter Bryce Stowell gave up eight Tiger runs, but struck out nine. Eric Pettis allowed the Tigers' run in the 10th inning to take the loss, falling to 3-2 on the season.

The Tigers and Anteaters will meet in the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.