BASEBALL DROPS PAIR TO UC RIVERSIDE IN SATURDAY DOUBLEHEADER
2/26/2011
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento State baseball team dropped both games in Saturday's doubleheader to UC Riverside at John Smith Field. The Hornets lost 2-0 in game one and 18-2 in game two.
Sacramento State falls to 2-4 on the season while UC Riverside improves 3-4 after the pair of victories. UCR reliever Dustin Emmons earned the win in game one while starter Matt Larkins got the win in the game two. Sacramento State reliever Andrew Galvan took the loss in game one and starter Sam Kuykendall took the loss in game two. Mitch Patito earned the save for UCR in game one.
The Hornets will be back in action on Sunday for the series finale with the Highlanders. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. at John Smith Field
Game One: L, 2-0
It was scoreless until the top of the 11th inning when, with two outs and runners at first and second, UC Riverside's David Andriese doubled to right center which drove in both baserunners to put the Highlanders up 2-0. Patito took the mound in the bottom of the inning and immediately gave up a hit down the left field line to Sacramento State's Eli Davis. But Patito shut the door on the Hornets after the Davis single to preserve UC Riverside's extra inning win and earn the save.
Sacramento State starter Tanner Mendonca went seven innings, allowing just four hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Reliever Andrew Galvan pitched three scoreless innings until allowing a pair in the 11th. Galvan finished with four hits and two earned runs with three stikeouts in four innings.
UC Riverside starter Matt Andriese allowed only three hits in eight innings with eight strikeouts and two walks. Relievers Emmons and Patito combined to allow one hit in three innings with three strikeouts.
Sacramento State jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning in the second game of the doubleheader. Chung started off the game with a single and scored when Jake Chilton tripled down the right field line. Paine then singled in Chilton.
After the first, the Hornets' bats went cold and the Highlanders' were just starting to warm up.
After tacking on single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, UC Riverside exploded for eight runs in the sixth, three in the seventh, two in the eighth and three more in the ninth.
It all started in the sixth inning after UCR's Tony Nix fouled out to left field. Justin Shults singled through the right side and moved to third after David Andriese singled up the middle. With runners at the corners and one out, Bryan Horst laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line and beat out the throw, which sailed over the Hornets' first baseman for an error. Shults scored on the bunt from third while Andriese scored all the way from first and Horst took second after the throwing error.
After UC Riverside scored two more runs and Sacramento State made a pitching change, Nix came back to the plate in the inning that he led off and belted a grand slam to left which gave the Highlanders eight runs in the inning and a 10-2 lead.
UC Riverside finished the game with 18 runs on 24 hits and one error while the Hornets wrapped up the contest with two runs on five hits and three errors.
Sacramento State's Kuykendall pitched 5.1 innings with nine hits and six runs (four earned). Brandon Creel, Hunter Greenwood and Hunter Adrian also pitched for the Hornets.
UC Riverside starter Larkins pitched six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and a pair of walks. Reliver Eddie Orozco pitched three hitless innings with three strikeouts.
