Big West Recap for 4/20

UC Riverside 7 @ #5 UCI 5

#18 CSF 2 @ Pacific 1

#24 LBSU 4 @ Cal St. Northridge 1

Cal Poly 4 @ UC Davis 2

USC 0 @ UCSB 6

No. 5 UC Irvine Upset by UC Riverside
IRVINE, Calif. — The fifth-ranked Anteaters were upset by UC Riverside, losing 7-5 in the series finale Sunday at Anteater Ballpark. The loss dropped UCI to 6-6 in the Big West (24-9 overall) while the Highlanders improved to 11-23 (5-4 Big West) overall. It was the Anteaters’ first series loss to an unranked opponent this season and the first time UCI has lost two straight games.

Outfielder Dillon Bell staked UCI to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third with a solo home run but UC Riverside claimed the lead in the sixth with three runs on RBI singles from Joey Gonzalez and Ryan Goetz.

UCI rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the frame on an RBI groundout from Jeff Cusick and a clutch single from Francis Larson.

The Highlanders took a 7-3 lead in the top of the seventh, scoring on an error, a two-run triple from Goetz and a wild pitch.

The Anteaters cut the lead to two on a sacrifice fly from Cusick and a run-scoring single from Larson to plate Aaron Lowenstein but reliever Rob Waite induced an inning-ending groundout to end the rally.

UCR’s Ryan Platt picked up the win pitching to improve to 2-2. Platt gave up two runs on three hits in an inning of relief. Joe Kelly collected his third save after retiring the Anteaters in order in the ninth.

UCI’s Christian Bergman fell to 4-2 after giving up four runs (three earned) on three hits in 1.1 innings. Starter Daniel Bibona yielded three runs (two earned) on six hits in 5.2 innings while closer Eric Pettis struck out three and walked one in two scoreless innings.

Larson and Bell both went 2 for 4 to lead the Anteaters.

Colon‘s Homer Lifts Titans to 2-1 Win and Sweep
Stockton, Calif. – Christian Colon’s solo home run in the top of the eighth inning lifted the No 15 Cal State Fullerton to a 2-1 win over Pacific Sunday afternoon to complete the weekend sweep of the Tigers at Klein Family Field.

Fullerton wins its 19th straight game over Pacific and improves to 23-13 on the year and 9-3 in league action while Pacific falls to 8-28, 2-10.

Cory Arbiso (7-2) earned his seventh straight win with an eight-inning effort, surrendering just one run on eight hits. The junior right-hander also fanned six and surrendered just one walk, an intentional one issued in the seventh inning. Adam Jorgenson picked up his fourth save of the year with a scoreless ninth inning.

Joey Centanni (0-2) pitched very well for eight innings as well, with his only big mistake being the late-game long ball. The southpaw allowed just two runs on seven hits, while striking out four in the losing effort.

Colon backed up a dazzling defensive play in the bottom of the seventh, with his home run in the top of the eighth to put the Titans on top, 2-1. Colon drove Centanni’s first pitch up and out of Klein Family Field, the second time on the 2008 campaign he has homered, and the first time on the day he had picked up a hit.

The Tigers threatened in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Arbiso worked out of a jam, thanks to the glovework of Colon. With runners at first and second, John Joines sent a chopper deep in the hole that not only did Colon get a glove on, but had the presence of mind to throw off balance to record the force out at third base with Joel Weeks stretching. That cut short the Pacific rally as Arbiso finished the inning with a strikeout of Matt Fuson.

In the sixth, Adam Ching laid into Arbiso’s first pitch to him and tied the game with a solo home run of his own over the left-center field wall. It was the shortstop’s third home run of the season, and the fifth of the season surrendered by the Titan hurler.

The Titans manufactured their first run of the day as Gary Brown and Josh Fellhauer led the inning off the third inning with back-to-back singles off Centanni. Colon then sacrificed the two Titan runners up 90 feet to set up a run-scoring grounder by Erik Komatsu.

Felljhauer and Joel Weeks each collected two hits apiece in the win. The duo accounted for four of the eight Titan hits. Adam Ching and Mike Walker also collected half of the Tigers’ eight hits with two each.

The Titans move into first place in the Big West Conference as Cal Poly beat UC Davis, 4-2 on Sunday.

Dirtbags Sweep CS Northridge 4-1
NORTHRIDGE— Jake Thompson (2-4) pitched into the seventh and No. 25-ranked Long Beach State (23-14, 5-4 Big West) swept the weekend series from CS Northridge (15-20, 4-8 Big West), winning the Sunday finale 4-1.

Steve Tinoco went 3-for-4 with an RBI single in the first, while Jonathan Jones drove in two runs and had two nice running catches in centerfield.

Thompson went the first 6.1 innings, giving up one run on eight hits, while striking out five with no walks. Nick Vincent went the next 1.2 innings, before Bryan Shaw pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save. It was Thompson’s first win since March 2.

The Dirtbags scored two unearned runs in the first inning to lead 2-0, paced by two errors and then added another run on the second error of the day by second baseman TS Reed, in the sixth, to lead 3-0.

Matador reliever Edwin Quiarte’s scoreless streak come to an end in the sixth, when Jones came through with an RBI single to make it 3-0. Quiarte, who entered in the third inning, had 14.2 scoreless innings prior to the run, as he gave up another, in the eighth on a Jones fielder’s choice. Quiarte also worked out of two bases loaded jams and went 5.1 innings.

The Matadors chased Thompson from the game in the seventh following an RBI single by pinch hitter Ryan Pineda to make it 3-1.

Mustangs Clinch Series Against UC Davis With 4-2 Victory
DAVIS, Calif. – Sophomore right-hander Steven Fischback pitched a complete-game seven-hitter and junior center fielder Logan Schafer tripled twice as Cal Poly defeated UC Davis 4-2 in a Big West Conference baseball game Sunday afternoon at Dobbins Stadium.

Cal Poly clinched the series against the Aggies, two games to one, have won eight of their last 10 games and improved to 17-19 overall and 5-7 in conference games. UC Davis, in first place in the Big West at the start of weekend play, fell to 25-13 and 6-3.

Fischback improved to 4-3 on the year with his first career collegiate complete game, striking out three and walking one. He threw 107 pitches, 67 for strikes. Fischback earned his last win March 22 against Santa Clara and, since then, had logged one save, two losses and a no-decision.

UC Davis entered the game with a .330 team batting average.

Junior right-hander Bryan Evans (3-2) suffered the loss for UC Davis, allowing 11 hits and four runs in five innings with no walks and two strikeouts. He threw 89 pitches.

Cal Poly jumped to a 4-0 lead with two runs in the first inning and single tallies in the third and fourth frames.

Schafer tripled with two outs in the first inning and came home on an infield single by junior third baseman Brent Morel. Singles by sophomore first baseman Wes Dorrell and junior right fielder Ryan Lee scored Morel.

In the third, Schafer tripled with one out and came home on a single to center field by Morel.

Sophomore left fielder Adam Melker singled to open the fourth, took third on a double by sophomore shortstop Kyle Smith and scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore designated hitter Luke Yoder.

UC Davis trimmed the four-run deficit in half in the sixth inning. Third baseman Ty Kelly hit a 3-0 pitch into right field for a single and scored on a double by catcher Jake Jefferies over the head of Schafer in center field. A single by left fielder Ryan Scoma scored Jefferies.

Scoma led off the ninth with a single to center field, but right fielder Kyle Mihaylo lined into a double play at third base and Fischback induced first baseman Grant Hirneise to ground ouft to first base, ending the 2-hour, 15-minute game.

Schafer finished with three hits, including a pair of triples, the second time he tripled twice in a game as a Mustang. Schafer also accomplished the feat last year against the Aggies. No one has hit three triples in a game since Cal Poly moved to Division I in 1995. Eight Mustangs have hit a pair of triples during that span.

Morel also had three hits Sunday, extending his hitting streak to 13 games. All three hits were singles and he knocked in two runs.

Dorrell and Lee each had two hits as Cal Poly outhit UC Davis 12-7. The Mustangs have produced double-digit hits in eight of their last 11 games.

Scoma and designated hitter Evan Hudson each had two hits for the Aggies.

Huggins’ Complete Game Shutout Fuels Sweep of USC
Santa Barbara, Calif. – Chuck Huggins pitched a complete game shutout, leading UC Santa Barbara (27-11) to its first ever three-game sweep of University of Southern California (19-19) in Head Coach Bob Brontsema’s tenure. Huggins (7-1) was masterful throughout, mixing fastballs and changeups all day long, allowing only five hits, while striking out seven and walking three.

Both starters were on early as the first hit of Sunday’s game came in the top of the third.

USC starter Ryan Cook (4-3) pitched well, but suffered the loss, allowing five runs (two earned) on seven hits in 6.2 innings of work. A pair of errors by USC second baseman Hector Rabago led to Cook’s undoing in the seventh inning.

The Gauchos scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning on a bases loaded walk to designated hitter John DeAlba. After Cook loaded the bases by surrendering a base hit and two consecutive walks, he walked his third batter of the inning, forcing home the first run of the game.

The first extra-base hit didn’t come until the bottom of the seventh when Gaucho third baseman Patrick Rose tripled into the left center field gap. Catcher Matt McColgan followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to left field, giving the Gauchos a 2-0 lead. Gunnar Terhune reached first on a Trojan fielding error in the following at bat, and then stole second base. With Terhune on second, Chris Fox laced an RBI single up the middle for the third UCSB run of the game. With one on and two out, Eric Oliver ripped a 1-2 offering from Cook over the right center field wall. Oliver’s two-run job, his second on the year, put the Gauchos in front, 5-0.

UCSB scored their final run of the game in the bottom of the eighth. Matt McColgan’s RBI single through the left side of the infield, scored DeAlba for the sixth Gaucho run of the game.

Huggins made sure the lead would last, inducing Trojan right fielder Anthony Vasquez to fly out to left to end the ballgame.

Huggins complete game marked the second complete game of the series, as sophomore Mike Ford (5-2) pitched his first complete game in Friday’s opener. The Redwood City, Calif., native lowered his ERA to 3.47. Huggins’ seventh win on the year ensures him the top spot on the Big West leader board in wins. Huggins improved his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 59-to-17, as batters are now hitting a lowly .226 against the senior southpaw.

Oliver led the way offensively for the Gauchos, going 2-for-3 with one run scored and a two-run home run. McColgan added a pair of RBI in a 1-for-3 effort. Fox was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.

The Gauchos scored a remarkable 60 runs in four games this week, while limiting opponents to nine. Each Gaucho starter earned wins in the series over USC, as the starting rotation improved their combined record to an astounding 16-5. The Gauchos are hitting a combined .332 as a team and have scored a ridiculous 313 runs in 38 games played, an 8.2 average.

The Gauchos are running on all cylinders and look to have hit their stride at the perfect time with conference play on the horizon for the rest of the season.