Feb. 21, 2009
Box Score
Waco, Texas - Led by Texas natives sophomore J.B. Brown (Alvin, Texas) and Mark McCain (Dallas, Texas), the Pacific baseball team rallied past No. 8 Baylor, 9-8, on Saturday, Feb. 21.
With the victory the Tigers evened the opening series of the 2009 season at 1-1.
Trailing 8-5 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, the Tigers used a mix of patience and precision to rally past the Bears. Senior Mike McKeever (San Diego, Calif.) got things rolling in the eighth on a lead-off walk. Brown followed with a single to left field, then senior Kurt Wideman (Fallbrook, Calif.) worked a walk to load the bases.
Junior transfer Jamie Niley (Elk Grove, Calif.) lofted a sacrifice fly to make it 8-6, scoring McKeever and sending Brown to third. Junior Ben Gorang (Turlock, Calif.) followed by bouncing a ball back to the mound, but the throw to second pulled Baylor shortstop Raynor Campbell off the bag. Wideman wisely moved to third on the play, while Brown scampered home to make it 8-7. Returning to the top of the order, senior Joey Centanni (San Diego, Calif.) executed a perfect safety squeeze bunt down the first base line, bringing in Wideman to tie the game at 8-8.
In the bottom half of the frame, McCain came on in relief with a man at first and after hitting the first batter, worked out of the jam to give the Tigers' offense a chance to take the lead.
Pacific did just that as sophomore Nick Longmire (San Diego, Calif.) was hit by a pitch, then sophomore Mike Walker (Marysville, Calif.) reached first on another errant throw from Baylor pitcher Willie Kempf. The ensuing batter, McKeever was also hit by a pitch, loading the bases with no outs.
Baylor went to its bullpen for Brooks Pinckard, but Brown slapped a high-hopper towards second base on the first pitch. Pinch runner, junior Matt Fuson (Lodi, Calif.) was forced on the play, but Longmire scored, giving the Tigers a 9-8 advantage.
In the bottom of the ninth, Pacific called upon sophomore Thomas Berolzheimer (Stockton, Calif) for the second consecutive day to preserve a one-run lead. This time Berolzheimer made short work of the Bears, retiring Baylor in order to preserve his first save of the season.
McCain (1-0) earned his first victory of the season, tossing one inning of scoreless relief. Baylor's Kempf (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing two runs on a walk and two hit batters in one inning of work.
Pacific got off to a fast start with four runs in the top of the first inning. Centanni led off the game by ripping a double down the left field line. Sophomore Brian Martin (Livermore, Calif.) followed with a short single into left, putting runners at the corners. Back-to-back walks to Longmire and Walker gave Pacific a 1-0 lead and the bases loaded with no outs.
After Martin was forced at home on a fielder's choice by McKeever, Brown cracked a double into the right field corner to bring home both Longmire and Walker as well as chasing McKeever to third. The next batter, Wideman slapped an RBI grounder to the left side and reached on a Baylor error, giving Pacific a 4-0 lead.
The Tigers held that lead into the bottom of the third, when Baylor responded with three runs. That inning seemed to kick-start the Bears' offense as Baylor added one run in the fourth, then took the lead on a single run in the fifth to go up 5-4.
Brown rallied his quickly in the top of the sixth, leading the inning off with a single up the middle. Wideman moved Brown to second on a sacrifice bunt, then Niley bounced a single up the middle to drive home Brown. It was Niley's first of the season and first hit as a Tiger.
Unfortunately Baylor's offense kept charging, reclaiming the lead with a run in the bottom of the sixth, then collecting a two-run home run from Adam Hornung in the bottom of the seventh to take an 8-5 edge.
Pacific and Baylor tangle in the rubber contest at 10 a.m. PT on Sunday, Feb. 22 at Baylor Ballpark.
