March 11, 2009
Box Score
Sacramento, Calif. - Against a wall, the Pacific baseball team tried to stage yet another comeback attempt at Sacramento State but could not do so, falling 8-4 to the Hornets on Wednesday, March 11.
With the loss, Pacific dropped to 3-8 on the year, while Sacramento State improved to 4-7 overall.
Junior LHP Jamie Niley (Elk Grove, Calif.) (0-1, 5.73 ERA) took the loss for Pacific in his first start as a pitcher, while RHP Chris Baek (1-0, 9.22 ERA) earned his first win of the season. RHP Jeff Roth took over for Baek in the sixth inning and kept the lead through the rest of the game, claiming his first save of 2009.
While the Tigers have yet to score in the first inning all season long, they allowed Sacramento State to jump on the board with one run in the bottom of the first.
Junior third baseman Mike Walker (Marysville, Calif.) (.317 average, 1-for-3) opened out the inning grounding out to second. With one out, sophomore left fielder Nick Longmire (San Diego, Calif.) (.275 average, 2-for-4, 1 run) set the table when he singled up the middle of the diamond, scoring when senior catcher Kurt Wideman (Fallbrook, Calif.) (.342 average, 3-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 home run, 1 double) crushed a 1-1 pitch way over the left field wall and off of the neighboring five-story parking structure. Wideman's two RBI put Pacific ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the second.
Junior shortstop Ben Gorang (Turlock, Calif.) (1-for-4, 1 double) kept the inning alive, doubling off the left center wall, just inches shy of another home run. However, junior center fielder Matt Fuson (Lodi, Calif.) popped out to the shortstop, Derrick Chung for the second out of the inning. Senior DH Joe Oliveira (San Diego, Calif.) (.273 average, 1-for-4) kept Pacific's rally alive, watching a fourth ball to put runners on first and second, however they remained stranded when first baseman Brian Martin (Livermore, Calif.) (.294 average, 1-for-5) grounded out to the second baseman to end the inning. Pacific briefly was able to take a 2-1 lead heading into the third.
But against Niley's pitching, Sacramento State took back another run in the bottom of the second, evening the score at 2-2 heading into the third. Both starting pitchers made efficient use of their batters in the third, as Niley did not allow any hits or runs to score, while Baek gave up one hit to sophomore J.B. Brown (Alvin, Texas) but came back in control to strand Brown and come out of the inning unscathed.
Pacific pulled ahead and out of the score lock in the top of the fourth. Wideman, who was one triple shy of hitting for the cycle, opened up the inning with a stand up double. Gorang advanced him with a sacrifice fly, putting Wideman 90 feet from home with only one out in the inning. Fuson followed suit in the next at-bat, flying far enough out to center field to allow Wideman to tag up and score Pacific's fourth run. The Tigers then took the lead 4-3. Oliveira was the next Tiger to reach first, as he laced a two-out single to center field. One run was all Pacific would get though, as Oliveira was caught stealing during Martin's at-bat to end the inning.
That was the final run Pacific would score and Sacramento State came up with an answer to Pacific's momentary lead. In Niley's final third of an inning, an error and a balk put runners in scoring position. Junior David Rowse (Pleasanton, Calif.) took the reigns for Niley on the mound, but three runs scored that inning with two credited to Niley and one in Rowse's name.
Those were the final blows to Pacific, as both teams went without a run in the final two innings. The Tigers had their sophomore closer Thomas Berolzheimer (Stockton, Calif.) keep Sacramento State in check in the final 1.1 innings of the game, as did not allow a run to score against the Hornets' eight final batters.
Pacific returns back to Klein Family Field to host Houston in a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 13. Senior LHP Joey Centanni (San Diego, Calif.) is slated to be the starting pitcher for the Tigers and first pitch is set for 5:35 p.m.
