May 3, 2009
Box Score
Riverside, Calif. - What began as a pitcher's duel momentarily turned sour in the sixth inning, as the Tigers committed their second error of the game and could not provide enough run support to overcome a 5-1 loss at UC Riverside on Sunday, May 3.
After the loss, Pacific fell to 18-24 overall and 8-10 in the Big West Conference while UC Riverside improved to 27-14 on the year and 7-8 in conference play.
Junior LHP David Rowse (Pleasanton, Calif.) started off the first half of the game for Pacific in strong command, going 5.1 innings of work while allowing only six hits and one earned run.
The Highlanders plated their first unearned runner of the game in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Tony Nix that would have been the third out of the inning if not for the error one batter before, that caused Carl Uhl to reach second on the error. At the end of three innings, UC Riverside took the lead 1-0.
Rowse bounced back and retired the Highlanders in the fourth and fifth innings, allowing only two hits and facing two batters over the minimum. That led the way defensively for the Tigers to put together some offensive rhythm, but Pacific could not produce until the eighth.
UC Riverside's pitching completely shut down the Tigers' offense early on, as Pacific failed to get a runner past second base until the eighth inning, when Pacific had one out and runners at the corners in Mike Walker (Marysville, Calif.) and Ben Gorang (Turlock, Calif.). A one-out single by sophomore Nick Longmire (San Diego, Calif.) scored Walker from third and moved Gorang to second to give the Tigers their first run of the game, trailing 5-1.
Two outs later, sophomore J.B. Brown (Alvin, Texas) recorded Pacific's sixth hit of the game off UC Riverside's hurler, Paul Applebee, and loaded the bases. Up 5-1 with the tying run at the plate, the Highlanders were forced to go to their bullpen in the eighth inning. But Pacific failed to produce and left all three runners stranded to end the inning down by four.
In the sixth frame, another costly error gave UC Riverside its second run, as the Highlanders went ahead 2-0. After one out and runners at first and third, head coach Ed Sprague called senior RHP Cole Akins (Seattle, Wash.) out from the bullpen to take over in relief of Rowse.
Akins's first batter, Daniel Pellegrino, reached on an error to third base that had the potential to be an inning-ending double play. Instead, Pellegrino was credited with an RBI after driving in Michael Hur, to give UC Riverside a 3-0 lead. Akins was then able to rebound from the run and shut down the next two Highlander batters and end the inning.
The Highlanders went on to record one more run in the seventh off Akins. Akins was credited with another when sophomore Thomas Berolzheimer (Stockton, Calif.) came in relief in the seventh to allow another run, the final time UC Riverside scored at 5-0.
Pacific next returns to action on Tuesday, May 5, when they head to the University of San Francisco for a 3 p.m. first pitch in San Francisco, Calif.
