March 14, 2009
Box Score
Stockton, Calif. - The Pacific baseball team claimed its second-straight victory against Houston, hanging for a tight 7-6 win on Saturday, March 14 to clinch its first series of the season.
With the victory, Pacific improved to 5-8 on the year riding a two-game winning streak. Houston dropped to 3-13 overall on the season. Senior RHP Cole Akins (2-0, 3.63 ERA) gained the win allowing one earned run through 5.0 innings of work, as sophomore Thomas Berolzheimer (Stockton, Calif.) recorded his third save of the season. RHP Frank Corolla suffered his second loss of the season.
Up 7-5, Pacific's closer Berolzheimer (3.38 ERA, 3 saves) entered the game for reliever LHP Jamie Niley (Elk Grove, Calif.) during the top of the eighth inning. Pacific's cushion was stretched thin, as the Cougars had runners on first and second and the go-ahead run represented at the plate.
Berolzheimer started his appearance off quickly, striking out Chase Dempsay. Pacific's closer then relinquished one hit, as Caleb Ramsey singled through the left side of the field to score one run. But Berolzheimer recovered and limited the damage, inducing the next batter, William Kankel, to ground out to sophomore second baseman J.B. Brown (Alvin, Texas) for the third out of the inning. The Tigers then headed into the bottom of the eighth up 7-6.
Hoping to gain a little more leeway, Pacific came to the plate. Senior right fielder Mike McKeever (San Diego, Calif.) and Brown went down in order to open the frame, to bring up senior catcher Kurt Wideman (Fallbrook, Calif.) with two outs on the scoreboard. Wideman (.386 average, 2-for-2, RBI, 1 double) recorded his ninth double of the season on a 1-0 count, knocking the ball down the left field line and off the fence. However, he remained at second when junior third baseman Mike Walker (Marysville, Calif.) struck out to close the inning with only a one-run differential, as Pacific still clung to a 7-6 lead.
Berolzheimer sparkled in the top of the ninth, when Pacific needed defensive production the most. He surrendered a single to put the leadoff batter on base, as Taylor White laced a hit past the Tigers' shortstop, junior Ben Gorang (Turlock, Calif.). That brought David Murphy to the plate, who attempted a sacrifice bunt when Berolzheimer quickly recorded the putout at first, throwing to sophomore Brian Martin (Livermore, Calif.). Upon catching the ball, Martin saw White wheeling around second towards third and unloaded, firing over to the third baseman. Walker snagged the ball and made a sweeping tag inches ahead of a sliding Martin, to complete a double play that eliminated all potential base runners. With new life, Berolzheimer took command and forced his final batter, Codey Morehouse to pop out to Brown at second base and garner the save with a final 7-6 victory.
Offensively, the Tigers put forth another productive evening with five doubles from junior center fielder Matt Fuson (Lodi, Calif.), sophomore left fielder Nick Longmire, McKeever, Wideman and Martin. Fuson (1-for-4, 1 double) led off the double-parade with senior DH Joey Centanni at first base in the bottom of the first inning, putting both runners in scoring position. Logmire singled to the Cougars' starting pitcher, Carolla, who couldn't record the out in time, loading the bases. Brown, the next batter, struck out swinging, but Wideman (1-for-3) pulled off a one-out single to score Centanni and Fuson. That was all the scoring Pacific needed to pull ahead indefinitely, 2-1 in the bottom of the first.
The Tigers chipped in some necessary insurance runs in the bottom of the third, when Longmire opened the frame with a double. McKeever and Brown recorded back-to-back strikeouts, as Pacific had to come up with some sort of two-out rally. Longmire (.312 average, 2-for-5, 1 double) saw the field well during Wideman's at-bat, reaching third on a wild pitch. Wideman used a four-pitch walk to put runners on first and third and scampered to second on another wild pitch by Corolla. Martin (.316 average, 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 double) came up big in that frame when he lifted a single just out of reach past the right side of the field to score two of his runners and put the Tigers ahead 4-1. Gorang (.295 average, 3-for-3, 1 RBI) kept the rally alive, singling past the shortstop to score Walker and take a 5-1 lead.
After allowing one run in the top of the fourth and three Cougar runs in the top of the seventh, Pacific headed to the bottom of the seventh inning with a slight 6-5 lead. Gorang bunted to third to lead things off and reached first safely. Centanni followed suit, recording a sacrifice bunt to put Gorang on second base. With one out, Fuson grounded out to the second baseman to force yet another two-out rally situation on the Tigers, as Gorang advanced to third on the play. With Longmire at the plate, a wild pitch by Chase Dempsay allowed Gorang to cruise home safely, moments before Longmire struck out to end the scoring opportunity. That was all the lead Pacific needed to hang on for its second-straight victory and control of the series against the Cougars.
Both teams return to action for the final leg of the three-game series on Sunday, March 15. It will be the first Salute to the Troops promotional day of 2009, as the Tigers will wear their new camouflage jerseys at every Sunday home game. RHP Hunter Carnevale is set to take the mound for Pacific against Michael Goodnight. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
