May 9, 2009

Box Score

Stockton, Calif. - Trailing by one run in the bottom of the ninth, Pacific's baseball team could not string together enough to take a win from top-ranked UC Irvine in the series, as the Tigers fell 5-4 on Saturday, May 9. Pacific fell to 18-27 on the year and 8-12 in Big West play, while UC Irvine improved to 36-11 and 16-1 in conference.

Junior LHP David Rowse (Pleasanton, Calif.) recorded his best outing since 2007, when he came out as the winner in eight innings against No. 24 Baylor. In Saturday's contest, Rowse tossed 7.2 innings and allowed only three runs.

Senior Mark McCain (Dallas, Texas) suffered the loss for Pacific, falling to 2-2 on the year. Brock Bardeen earned his fifth win of the year for UC Irvine and Eric Pettis garnered his 15th save in 2009.

Down 5-3 heading into the top of the ninth, junior Mike Walker (Marysville, Calif.) faced the Anteaters' closer, Pettis, and fired off a home run over the right field wall on a 1-0 pitch to bring the Tigers within one of the No. 1 team in the country, 5-4. However, Pettis rebounded and struck out the next three Tiger batters in order to claim the save.

UC Irvine scored first, tagging Rowse for his only three runs of the game in the top of the fourth inning to go ahead 3-0. But the Tiger batters stuck with it over the next two innings.

One out into Pacific's half of the fourth, sophomore J.B. Brown (Alvin, Texas) doubled down the left field line for his 16th this season. With a runner in scoring position, senior Mike McKeever (San Diego, Calif.) traded places with Brown when he also doubled to drive in the first Tiger run of the game, trailing 3-1.

Rowse kept the Anteaters scoreless in the fifth, giving way for Pacific to come back for two more runs to tie the game at three. Walker started off the top of the fifth with a single into left field. In the next at-bat, freshman Josh Simms (La Mesa, Calif.) singled through the left side of the diamond and put Walker at second. That gave way for junior Ben Gorang (Turlock, Calif.) to record a sacrifice bunt to third base that moved both runners into scoring position with only one out. The sophomore Nick Longmire (San Diego, Calif.) to single through the right side to drive in both runs and tie the game at 3-3.

UC Irvine then came back for two final runs in the top of the ninth off McCain.

The final game of the series will resume on Sunday, May 10 at 1 p.m. for the second-to-last Salute to the Troops event.