Feb. 19, 2010
Box Score
Stockton, Calif. - The Pacific baseball team started out its 2010 campaign strong, claiming a 3-1 victory over San Francisco on Friday, Feb. 19, 2010. After a one-run gem from junior Marcus Pointer (Pacifica, Calif.), junior Matthew Carvutto (Poway, Calif.) tore open the game in the seventh with a two-run triple.
With the victory, Pacific improves to 1-0 overall, while San Francisco dropped to 0-1 on the year. The last time Pacific claimed its home opener was back in 2006 with a 14-6 victory over Santa Clara.
Down 1-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, junior J.B. Brown (Alvin, Texas) took a pitch to the leg and earned a free pass to first base, after a 1-2 count. Doug Murray then walked junior Nick Longmire (San Diego, Calif.) on a full-count pitch, putting runners at first and second. In the next at-bat, senior Mike Walker (Marysville, Calif.) plated the tying run when he lifted a sacrifice fly into left field, allowing Brown to come home and score. Walker's sacrifice knotted the score 1-1, as Longmire remained at first.
With new life in the game, sophomore Allen Riley (Fresno, Calif.) continued the rally when he singled off Murray past shortstop, moving Longmire over to second. Stepping up to the plate with runners at first and second, Carvutto torched a 1-2 pitch out to the left center field wall, for a two-run triple that easily plated both Longmire and Riley. Carvutto's shot gave the Tigers the 3-1 lead they rode to victory. Immediately after taking the lead, Pacific aggressive looked to tack on a few more insurance runs with two more innings left to play. Sophomore Brett Christopher (Livermore, Calif.) laid down a safety squeeze, bunting back to Murray. However, Carvutto broke from third on the play and was run down and tagged out back at third to end the inning.
Starting out the top of the next inning, junior Jake Hummel (Peoria, Ariz.) came in to relieve Pointer and shut down the Dons over the final two innings to earn his first save of the year.
Pointer commanded the game early on, retiring the side in the first inning, thanks to strong defense behind him from juniors Longmire and Brian Martin (Livermore, Calif.). In the bottom of the first, the Tigers responded by tallying the first hit of the contest, as senior Joe Oliveira (San Diego, Calif.) drove an 0-1 pitch up the middle of the diamond to set the table at first base. However, during Martin's at-bat, Murray picked Oliveira off at first and then proceeded to strike out Martin.
Through the second inning, both pitchers displayed poise and control, leaving the opposition hitless as Pointer and Murray retired the side in order.
But it was in the top of the third that San Francisco was able to do some damage, starting with Chris Dittman's patience at the plate that led to a full-count walk from Pointer. The Dons then played some small ball, as Conor Bernatz advanced Dittman to second on a sacrifice bunt back to Pointer. With one down and a runner in scoring position, Pointer then walked Jason Mahood in the ninth spot, to put runners at first and second. Pointer recovered nicely with the ensuing at-bat, striking out Robert Abel in the top of the line-up. But Pete Lavin came in and singled to center field, bringing home Dittman and advancing Mahood to third to take the early 1-0 lead. That was the only leeway Pointer allowed, following up by retiring Derek Poppert, who flied out to center to end the inning.
Pacific tried to play catch-up in the fourth, but could only muster one hit. However back in the fifth inning, the Tigers again tried to rally and come back in it. Down with two outs in the inning, Riley made contact with the first pitch over to third base and reached on a throwing error from third baseman Stephen Yarrow. Carvutto had a chance to be the hero earlier in the game, when he singled up the middle and advanced Riley to second. With runners on first and second and two outs, Christopher followed suit with another hit to second but Abel could not come up with the ball in time to throw Christopher out at first. Instead, it became a relay throw from second to first, back to the plate, as Riley was rounding third the entire time. Lavin then tagged Riley out at home, ending the inning with the Tigers trailing 1-0.
The victory over San Francisco turns around the 2009 efforts, when the Dons swept the two contests against Pacific.
Carvutto led all players in the game with two hits, finishing 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI. Pacific finished with six hits to San Francisco's four. Pointer garnered the victory for the Tigers, improving to 1-0 after tossing 7.0 innings and only allowing two hits and one earned run off 108 pitches and four strikeouts. Hummel earned the save through 2.0 innings of scoreless relief, giving up two hits while fanning three. Murray took the loss for the Dons, allowing three earned runs in a 94-pitch complete game effort.
Pacific next returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 20, with a 3 p.m. first pitch.
