May 11, 2008

Box Score

Irvine, Calif. - The Pacific baseball team dropped a 2-1 decision to No. 10 UC Irvine at Anteater Ballpark on Sunday, May 11. The Tigers fell to 11-37, 3-18 in Big West Conference play, while the Anteaters improved to 33-13, 10-8 in league games.

UC Irvine scored in the bottom of the second inning, on an RBI single from Sean Madigan to take a 1-0 lead.

After six scoreless innings pitched by Anteater starter Daniel Bibona, Tiger junior Mike McKeever led off the seventh inning with a home run to left-center to even the game at 1-1.

The Anteaters took the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. After a leadoff walk by Tiger starter Tyler Waldron (Pilot Hill, Calif.) to Ryan Fisher, pinch runner Tyler Hoechlin was sacrificed to second base by Eric Deragisch. Ollie Linton then doubled to right field to score the run and give UC Irvine a 2-1 lead. Waldron took the loss for the Tigers to fall to 2-6 on the season.

Waldron had a stretch of retiring 13 Anteater batters in a row and 17 of 18 after allowing a run in the second inning. He retired the leadoff batter in six of his eight innings, but the Anteaters scored in both innings the leadoff man got aboard. He allowed just four hits in the game, as the Tigers out-hit the Anteaters 5-4. It was the third complete game of the season for Waldron.

Daniel Bibona allowed five hits in 7 1-3 innings, striking out six, but ended up with a no decision. Christian Bergman got the final two outs of the eighth inning to pick up the victory and move to 5-2 on the year. Eric Pettis struck out the side in the ninth to pick his league-leading 13th save of the season.

McKeever and senior John Joines (Milpitas, Calif.) each had two hits for the Tigers.

The Tigers are next in action against Cal State Northridge on Friday, May 16 with a 6:00 p.m. game at Klein Family Field.