April 28, 2009
Box Score
Berkeley, Calif. - A pair of productive five-run innings in the top of the sixth and ninth pushed the Pacific baseball team past California 16-11, on Tuesday, April 28.
After the win, Pacific improved to 17-22 on the year while Cal dropped to 19-23 overall. The series between the two teams this season is now tied at 1-1, after California took a game from the Tigers at Klein Family Field back in March.
With the score knotted at 4-4 entering the fifth inning, Pacific exploded for run-support in favor of LHP David Rowse (Pleasanton, Calif.). Junior Jamie Niley (Elk Grove, Calif.) led off the sixth with a single to right field to put the lead-off runner aboard. Junior Ben Gorang (Turlock, Calif.) followed up with a routine grounder to shortstop, but reached on an error which allowed Niley to take an extra base and move into third.
That put runners on the corners for sophomore Nick Longmire (San Diego, Calif.) who hit a dribbler to the pitcher's mound, as Cal could not get to the ball in time to record an out. Longmire's single loaded the bases when freshman Josh Simms (La Mesa, Calif.) came to bat. In Simms' at-bat, pitcher Brian Diemer offered a ball to Simms that Cal's catcher Dylan Tonneson let pass behind him, advancing all three runners one base to put Niley across the plate unearned as Pacific took a 5-4 lead.
The Tigers had runners on second and third, as Simms drew the walk to again load the bases with no one out.
With Gorang, Longmire and Simms on the base paths, sophomore J.B. Brown (Alvin, Texas) recorded his 14th double of 2009 to bring home two more runners as Pacific jumped ahead 7-4 with only one out.
However, in the following at-bat senior Mike McKeever (San Diego, Calif.) grounded out to second, but tallied an RBI when and Simms came home to put Pacific up 8-4 with one out. Then sophomore Brian Martin (Livermore, Calif.) singled to right field, plating another run for a 9-4 lead in the inning.
Senior Kurt Wideman (Fallbrook, Calif.) then came to the plate and continued the sixth inning rally when he singled up the middle and put runners on first and second, as Cal went to its bullpen. However, that was all the offensive production Pacific could muster in the sixth inning.
The Tigers continued their offensive barrage tallying runs in the final three innings, after Cal struck again in the bottom of the sixth to cut Pacific's lead at 9-6. However, Pacific put up one run in the seventh and one more in the eighth to go ahead 11-6 before the Bears plated two more runs in the bottom of the eighth, 11-7.
Not ready to go down without a fight, the Tigers slathered on insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning. Simms led of the top of the ninth frame with another walk to put a man on first. Brown then capitalized on California's fourth error of the game, as Simms reached third.
With runners at first and third, McKeever laced a single to record his second RBI of the game when Simms came around to score, 12-7. In the following at-bat, Martin quickly hit into a fielder's choice but reached first safely as McKeever was thrown out at second. During that play, however, Brown moved to third base.
Wideman followed through with another drive that scored Brown from third and put Martin at second, while Pacific doubled its lead 13-7. With patience at the plate, junior Mike Walker drew a walk to load the bases with only one out in the inning. But not before yet another California error, the fifth of the game, advanced all Tigers in Niley's at-bat. Niley earned an RBI when Martin scored and the Tigers added to their lead, 14-7.
Pacific secured another run in the top of the ninth when Gorang singled to right field to score Wideman, 15-7, and load the bases again. The Tigers plated their final run of the game when Longmire grounded out to first as the second out of the inning, scoring Walker from third, 16-7.
Cal tried to come back in the bottom of the ninth but could not come close enough after the Bears tallied four more runs for a final score of 16-11.
Rowse nabbed the win for the Tigers, improving to 2-1 on the year. Rowse held the Bears to four hits in four innings of work. Diemer took the loss for California. Offensively, Brown led the Tigers' charge after going 4-for-6 at the plate with three RBI.
The Tigers return to action on Friday, May 1, when they head to UC Riverside for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
