CBB News Sources
UC Irvine Sweeps New Mexico, 12-1
ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Dillon Bell led the Anteaters with a career-high five RBI and Daniel Bibona held the Lobos to a one run as UC Irvine swept New Mexico, 12-1, Sunday at Isotopes Park. Ollie Linton and Ryan Fisher added three RBI apiece as UCI improved to 28-10 overall
Bell was 3 for 5 on the day, including his second home run of the series to pace a 17-hit attack against the Lobos. Linton also led the club, going 4 for 5 while Fisher was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Ben Orloff extended his hitting streak to a team-high 13 games, batting 3 for 4 and Casey Stevenson added three hits, batting 3 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
New Mexico scored its lone run in the bottom of the first on Mike Brownstein’s solo home run off Bibona.
The Anteaters took a 2-1 lead in the third on Bell’s two-run single to right to score Eric Deragisch and Linton. UC Irvine added five runs in the fifth with a leadoff home run by Linton and a two-run round-tripper by Bell to highlight the frame.
It was Bell again in the UCI sixth as the outfielder singled to right to plate Linton, who had singled and stolen second to lead off the inning.
In the Anteater ninth, Fisher tripled in two runs and Linton followed with a two-run double to give UCI a four-run inning and a 12-1 lead.
Bibona pitched seven strong innings to improve to 6-1 after holding New Mexico to one run on five hits while striking out five. Crosby Slaught provided an inning of scoreless relief and Chris Lopez retired the side in order in the ninth to preserve the win.
New Mexico starter Stephen Smith fell to 4-2 after giving up six runs on eight hits and striking out three in four innings.
Fellhauer, Arbiso Lead Titans to Series Win
Fullerton, Calif. – A two-out throwing error by shortstop Scott Heylman in the bottom of the seventh inning allowed the winning run to cross the plate as No. 15 Cal State Fullerton held on to beat UC Davis 8-5 Sunday afternoon, securing Cory Arbiso’s eight win of the year, in the teams’ Big West Conference baseball game at Goodwin Field.
Fullerton retained their first-place status in the Big West with the 2-1 series victory, and tallied its sixth straight series win. The Titans improve to 26-15 overall and 11-4 in league action. UC Davis drops to 25-15, and 7-5 in the Big West.
With the game tied 5-5, Fullerton scored three unearned runs in the seventh off reliever Trevor Fox (1-2), who entered the game at the beginning of the inning. A single by Christian Colon and a bloop-hit down the right field line by Jared Clark put Titans at the corners with two out and No. 5 five hitter Corey Jones at the plate. Jones hit a grounder to Heylman, which should have gotten the Aggies out of trouble, but the shortstop took something off the throw, that first baseman Evan Hudson could not handle. The error brought home Colon with the eventual game winner, and moved Clark to third.
After a pitching change, and a wild pitch that moved Jones to second, the Titans went to pinch hitter Brian Wilson, who came through with a two-run single that put the Titans up for good at 8-5. The hit secured the win for Arbiso (8-2) who has been victorious in his last eight starts. Adam Jorgenson pitched two perfect innings to notch his sixth save of the year.
Arbiso worked seven innings, surrendering nine and struck out four in the win. The righty also allowed five runs, only three earned, while walking three. Fox lasted just two-thirds of an inning in the hard-luck loss.
Davis tied the game in the top of the seventh as Ty Kelly drove home his second run of the game with a double to left. The two-bagger scored Ryan Royster who had walked and stole second to lead off the frame. Kelly moved to third on a groundout, then scored on a Joel Weeks throwing error from third base. Weeks’ miscue was one of a season-high four errors on the day for Cal State Fullerton.
The see-saw battle started from the get-go, as Fullerton jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. A double by Josh Fellhauer, and a single by Colon, put runners on for Jaed Clark, who drove home Fellhauer with a grounder to short.
The Aggies took the lead in the top of the third, scoring twice after loading the bases with two outs. A mental and physical error by Colon at short scored Ryan Royster (aboard on a single) and Kelly (aboard on a walk). Colon was could not decided where to go with with his throw after fielding the grounder cleanly, but opted to go to third, and threw wild to Weeks, to give the Aggies the 2-1 lead.
Josh Fellhauer promptly took the game into his own hands and tied the game with a homer to right on the first pitch of the third inning off starter Bryan Evans. It was the centerfielder’s fourth home run of the year.
Evans lasted just four innings, allowing five Titan runs on six hits in the no-decision.
After the Titans and Aggies traded runs in the fourth, Fullerton scored twice in the fifth to again take the lead, 5-3. Fellhauer, was again the center of attention as he doubled home Gary Brown with his third hit of the afternoon. With an out, and Fellhauer on third after a throwing error by the catcher, Erik Komatsu walked to put Titans on the corner. Fellhauer caught everyone off guard as he stole home on a routine throw to first to keep Komatsu close, just beating the first baseman’s attempt on the relay.
The Titans out-hit the Aggies 10-8 on the afternoon, with Fellhauer’s three hits leading all players. Kelly, Grant Hirniese and Colon each had two on the day.
Fellhauer Wilson and Kelly had two RBI apiece to lead all players.
Dirtbags Win in Extra Innings for the Sweep
LONG BEACH— TJ Mittelstaedt singled with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning to lead No. 25-ranked Long Beach State (26-15, 8-4 Big West) to a sweep of visiting Pacific (8-31, 2-13 Big West), winning the finale 7-6.
Bryan Shaw (2-0) picked up his second win of the weekend, pitching three shutout innings, while striking out five, as Rylan Sandoval in his second start at third base, went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and Jason Corder, Steve Tinoco and Mittelstaedt finished with two hits.
Danny Espinosa led of the 11th with a single up the middle, before Sandoval doubled and Jason Tweedy was intentionally walked off of David Rowse (0-3). Mittelstaedt then blooped it over second base for the team’s second straight win in their last at-bat.
Jason Corder tied the game in the ninth off of Thomas Berolzheimer with a one-out single to left center making it 6-6. Then Pacific sent it to extra innings, after Berolzheimer walked the bases full, and Rowse relieved him and struck out Jason Tweedy to end the inning. Rowse went the next 1.2 innings.
The Dirtbags came closer in the eighth with two runs, as a solo home run by Shane Peterson made it 6-4, before an RBI single by Rylan Sandoval, his second RBI of the day, made it 6-5.
Brett Lorin kept LBSU in the game with two shutout innings for the second-straight day, after the Tigers took a 6-3 lead in the sixth.
After LBSU took a 2-0 lead in the second, Pacific tied the game the game in the fifth with a two-run home run by Noah St. Urbain, before tallying four runs in the sixth to lead 6-3.
Joey Centanni went the first six innings, giving up three runs on six hits, as centerfielder Nick Longmire threw out Danny Espinosa at the plate in the sixth to end the inning, to keep the Tigers up 6-3.
LBSU starter Jake Thompson, went the first 5.2 innings, giving up five earned runs on 10 hits. Nick Vincent gave up an unearned run in the sixth.
Wible’s Walk-Off Hit Gives Highlanders Series Clinching Win
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Aaron Wible’s two-out walk-off RBI single completed a two run ninth-inning comeback and gave UC Riverside a 4-3 series clinching win over Cal State Northridge Sunday afternoon. UCR picked up two runs on three hits in the last inning, giving them their third series win of the season, all coming in Big West Conference play.
The Highlanders improve to 13-25 overall and 7-5 in the Big West, placing them in a tie with UC Davis for fourth, while the Matadors fall to 17-22 overall and 5-10 in conference.
UCR starting pitcher battled throughout the day, scattering nine hits and allowing three earned runs in his seven innings of work. He allowed a Matador run in the third, before UCR took advantage of three CSUN errors in their half of the inning and brought two runs across at take a 2-1 lead. Carl Uhl started the inning with a triple off the right field wall and later came home on a safety squeeze, put down by Joey Gonzales. Gonzales reached on the play after the Matador first baseman pulled his foot. He then stole second and came around to score the second UCR run on the third Northridge error of the inning.
CSUN tied things up with an RBI groundout in the fourth and later took a 3-2 lead on a seventh inning RBI base-hit by Justin DeMarco.
After stranding a runner at the third in their half of the seventh and another runner at second in the eighth, the Highlanders came through with runners on base, in the ninth. Stephen Penney came in and fired a perfect eighth and Joe Kelly followed with a one-two-three ninth to set the stage for the Highlander comeback in the ninth.
Trevor Hairgrove beat out an infield single to start the inning. One batter later, UCR used a perfectly executed hit-and-run as Gonzales slapped a ball through the vacated hole at shortstop, allowing Hairgrove to scamper to third. With runners on first and third and just one out, Highlander leading hitter Drew Garcia brought home Hairgrove for the game-tying run on sacrifice fly to center. During the play, Gonzales alertly took second base on the throw to the plate, putting himself in scoring position for Wible. The first pitch from CSUN reliever Edwin Quirarte was lined off the bat of Wible and over the right fielder, one-hopping the wall and allowing Gonzales to score easily for the game-winner.
It is the first walk-off win for the Highlanders this season as Kelly (1-0) picked the win and Quirarte (2-3) took the loss. Uhl and Wible each collected two hits and Gonzales scored two runs on the day.
UC Santa Barbara Rallies in Ninth Inning to Beat Cal Poly, 5-3
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Right fielder Brian Gump capped a five-run ninth-inning rally with a grand slam to straightaway center field, lifting UC Santa Barbara to a 5-3 victory over Cal Poly in a Big West Conference baseball game Sunday afternoon before 1,324 in Baggett Stadium.
Sophomore right-hander DJ Mauldin replaced Mustang starter Steven Fischback to start the ninth inning and struck out Mike Zuanich, the Big West’s home run leader with 12. But Shane Carlson singled, stole second and scored on a single up the middle by John DeAlba. Patrick Rose singled and, after pinch-hitter Chris McMurray struck out for the second out of the inning, Steve Cook walked to load the bases.
Gump hit the first pitch from Mauldin over the 405-foot sign in center field for his fourth home run of the season.
Michael Martin, who relieved Gaucho starter Chuck Huggins in the eighth inning, retired the Mustangs in order in the bottom of the ninth for the victory.
With the win, UC Santa Barbara beat Cal Poly in a three-game conference series for the first time in five years, two games to one, and improved to 29-13 for the season and 8-4 in Big West games. The Mustangs fell to 18-22 and 6-9.
Martin (4-2) earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief, allowing no hits and no walks. He was summoned from the bullpen after Cal Poly loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth, but retired Brent Morel on a force play at the plate and induced Luke Yoder to hit into an inning-ending double play.
The loss went to Mauldin (4-5). Fischback tossed eight scoreless innings for Cal Poly, allowing just four hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.
Cal Poly had built its 3-0 lead with a run in the second inning and two more in the fourth.
Morel reached base on an error in the second frame and eventually scored on Wes Dorrell’s grounder to shortstop.
Morel also led off the fourth inning for Cal Poly and homered down the left-field line, his sixth of the year and extending his hitting streak to 17 games. Cal Poly added another run in the inning as Dorrell doubled to left-center and Pat Pezet singled to right for the RBI.
Cal Poly’s six hits were spread out among six different batters. Gump finished with three hits, including a double and grand slam, as UC Santa Barbara outhit the Mustangs 8-6.
The Mustangs won the first game of the series Friday night 3-2 and UC Santa Barbara evened the series Saturday night with an 8-4 triumph.
