Feb. 17, 2014
Highlanders 12 – Cougars 7
The UCR men’s baseball team improved to 3-1 with a 12-7 win on Monday afternoon against visiting Washington State. The Highlanders had 17 hits and 12 runs compared to the Cougars’ nine hits and seven runs.
Joe Chavez led the team with four runs while David Andriese tallied five hits.
The top of the first started with a three-and-out from Washington State. Chavez, the left fielder for UCR, ended the inning with an impressive diving-line drive catch in center field.
The bottom of the first began with a single from Chavez, and then a stolen base from him as well. Devyn Bolasky reached second from an error by a left fielder, which brought Chavez home, 1-0. The next batter, Andriese, singled, allowing Bolasky to score, 2-0. In the third inning, the Cougars responded, tacking on two runs to tie the score at two apiece.
The action then picked up again during the top of the fourth inning when Washington State’s Patrick McGrath singled to center field. Ben Roberts got hit by a pitch, which allowed the Cougars’ sacrifice bunt to move the two runners in scoring position. Three runs were scored off of an error from Trace Sing and a single from Trek Stemp to close the inning, 5-2.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Cougar pitcher Jacob Schroeder stepped on the mound for Jason Monda, which proved to harm Washington’s performance. UCR played well offensively in the period, scoring three runs, 5-5.
Washington State went on to go hitless and scoreless in the next two innings, which UCR capitalized on. They scored four runs off of four hits in the bottom of the fifth inning, followed by a two-hit, one-run performance in the bottom of the sixth to lead, 12-5.
Washington State scored two more runs in the top of the eighth but that wasn’t enough to stop the Highlanders’ stellar offense. Two more Riverside runs were scored in the bottom of the seventh to secure UCR’s third win of the season, 12-7.
Feb. 21, 2014
Bobcats 2 – Highlanders 0
The Highlanders’ hot bats were quickly cooled Friday night by the Texas State Bobcats in San Marcos, Texas, who defeated them 2-0.
This was a battle of the mound, with Jacob Smigelski starting the first six innings followed by the last two with Dylan Stuart. Texas State utilized Lucas Humpal, who pitched a complete, four-hitter game, with 13 strikeouts and two walks.
In the first inning, UCR’s Joe Chavez stole second shortly after being walked. Then in the second inning, the Highlanders had a four-and-out, while the third inning ended quicker with two pop flies and a strikeout.
Smigelski started the game well, with only two hits in the first three innings, but he gave up one run when the Bobcats’ Cody Lovejoy brought Colby Targun home with a double. Targun had got on base with a single, moved to second with a sacrifice bunt, and then was driven home with the help of Lovejoy, 1-0.
From the fourth inning leading up to the seventh inning stretch, Smigelski and Humpal went head to head as each kept the other team at bay by only allowing four total hits.
By the start of the eighth inning, Humpal struck out six while Smigelski struck out four.
UCR had runners in scoring position three times but were shut down with stellar pitching from Humpal.
Stuart came in the game in the seventh to relive for the Highlanders. He struck out the first batter he faced but then gave up a home run to Pearson, who was 1-3 that night.
The game ended with one more Highlander single in the ninth inning from Mark Contreras. Drake Zarate then grounded out to end the game, 2-0.
Feb. 22, 2014
Bobcats 8 – Highlanders 7
The Highlanders and Bobcats fought down to the wire in front of over 1,300 screaming fans, but it was the home team that earned the victory, 8-7, in 10 innings.
After only recording four hits in the last game, UC Riverside surpassed that total in the first inning alone, scoring two runs in the early going, 2-0. The Bobcats, however, quickly responded at the bottom of the first, as two singles and a double scored two runners, 2-2.
Francisco Tellez’s double to left center field allowed two teammates to touch home base, giving the Highlanders a 4-2 advantage.
UCR added some cushion in the fifth inning. After a Bobcat score in the third, the Highlanders tacked on another run on a passed ball, 5-3.
The two teams then participated in a Lone Star state tussle as the Bobcats and Highlanders smacked singles, doubles and even a home run during the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. By the time the dust cleared, the teams were knotted at six apiece.
Neither team scored in the eighth or ninth inning, so the game went into extra innings. UC Riverside struck first as a Nick Vilter triple and another single lead to a Highlander score, 7-6. The Bobcats, however, had the last word as the team scored two runs on two hits to run away with a 8-7 victory over UCR.
Feb. 23, 2014
Bobcats 7 – Highlanders 5
Texas State made it a clean sweep of the Highlanders on Sunday as the Bobcats won 7-5. UC Riverside’s pitchers had a rough day at the office.
The pitching staff only allowed six hits on the day, but walked six, committed three wild pitches, hit three batters and committed one balk. Texas State’s pitcher Austen Williams allowed only two hits and struck out seven players in six innings.
The Highlanders now return home to face San Diego State on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
