April 8, 2011
Box Score
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Senior 1B Brian Martin (Livermore, Calif.) picked up a pair of hits, but UC Riverside took game one of a three-game conference series Friday night, 14-1, over the Pacific Tigers at Riverside Sports Complex.
The Highlanders (13-11 overall, 2-2 Big West) scored in each of the first six innings, hanging six runs in the bottom of the third. Pacific, which entered having won back-to-back games, have not won three in a row yet this season, as the Tigers fell to 9-17 overall, 1-3 in the Big West.
UCR's Justin Shults hit a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the first to put the Highlanders on the board, 1-0. In the second, UC Riverside stretched the lead to 2-0 on Pacific starter LHP Kyle Crawford (Modesto, Calif.) as 2B Bryan Horst delivered an RBI single to drive in LF David Andriese.
Pacific cut the lead in half in the top of the third, as sophomore 3B Dustin Torchio (Santa Cruz, Calif.) singled with one out, stole second base and after freshman catcher Jason Taasaas (Elk Grove, Calif.) walked, came in to score on an RBI single through the right side by sophomore 2B Tyger Pederson (Palo Alto, Calif.).
In the Riverside third, the first two men reached base and with runners on the corners and no one out. Crawford appeared to get a fly ball out to left field from Shultson which the runners had to hold, but a late balk call advanced the runners and let Shults continue at the plate with a 3-2 count. From the inning unraveled as Shults walked on the next pitch, and the Highlanders added three straight hits to blow the game open. UC Riverside tallied six runs on six hits, sending 11 men to the plate in the frame.
Crawford departed after two-plus innings, allowing six runs on six hits.
The Highlanders added two in the fourth, as Tony Nix doubled and David Andriese singled him home. Two batters later, Dan Pellegrino singled home Andriese for a 10-1 UC Riverside lead.
Freshman RHP Peter Miller (Santa Cruz, Calif.) entered in the fifth and was victimized by a pair of errors as UC Riverside scored three unearned runs. Sophomore RHP Jonas Noack (San Diego, Calif.) finished up, with a pair of shutout innings allowing one hit.
Martin finished two-for-four on the day with a pair of singles, while Pederson went one-for-four with the RBI. Torchio ended his evening one-for-three with a run scored.
Game two of the series is slated for 6 p.m. Saturday as RHP Marcus Pointer (Pacifica, Calif.) takes the hill opposite UC Riverside's RHP Dustin Emmons.
