STOCKTON, Calif. ? Not many teams have the opportunity to finish out a season with a win. That's often left to the team that takes home the ultimate prize. Sunday at Klein Family Field in Stockton, the 2009 CSUB baseball team got to be one of the few, closing out its inaugural season with a 6-5 win over the University of Pacific.
Behind a pair of three-run innings and the arms of Mickey Jannis and Erik Draxton, the Roadrunners wrapped things up by claiming the 13th win of the season. Jannis (2-8), who started Bakersfield's first-ever baseball game, closed out his junior year by starting the final game of the inaugural campaign, striking out a pair while scattering seven hits for five runs in seven complete innings. Draxton, who earned CSUB's first-ever baseball victory, completed his second save of the season, surrendering just one hit in the final two innings.
Nick Longmire led off Pacific's first at bats with a single up the middle and Josh Simms followed with another single up the middle, moving Longmire to third. J.B. Brown then hit an RBI ground out to second as Simms advanced to second and Longmire scored. Joey Centanni walked to put runners on first and second with just one out, but Kurt Wideman hit a bloop fielder's choice to first baseman Richard Escalera, who turned a 3-5-4 double play, throwing out Simms at third and Centanni at second.
In the fourth, Brandon Boren drew a full count walk and Martin Medina doubled down the right field line, putting two runners on for Richard Escalera who sent the 1-0 offering from Pacific's Cole Akins over the right field fence, giving Bakersfield a 3-1 advantage.
Pacific inched closer in the fifth, pushing one run across home plate with a double to left by Ben Gorang, a Longmire fly out that moved Gorang to third and a Simms RBI-single to left. Jannis then got Brown to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
The Roadrunners pushed the spread to four with three runs in the seventh. With one out, Jason Kudlock singled to center, JJ Henry reached on a bunt single to third and Joey Mills singled to center, sending Kudlock home from second. Kyle Richardson followed with an RBI-single to right, scoring Henry and moving Mills to third. With runners on the corners, Boren walked and Medina knocked a sacrifice fly to center to score Mills.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Longmire reached after bring hit by a pitch. The Tigers then reeled off three consecutive hits to score three runs and cut the Roadrunner lead to 6-5. Simms doubled to deep left as Longmire scored, Brown knocked an RBI-single to left and Centanni hit an RBI-double to deep left before Jannis was able to get Wideman to ground out to third for the final out.
After Bakersfield went three-up, three-down in the top of the eighth, Draxton replaced Jannis on the mound, drawing three straight fly outs on just six pitches. In the bottom of the ninth, Pacific's Gorang reached on a single to third as Henry was able to keep the ball in the infield but unable to make the throw in time. But Draxton got Longmire to ground into a double play and Simms followed with a ground out to second as the Roadrunners celebrated their season-ending victory.
Richardson and Mills had two hits each for CSUB, which totalled nine hits against five Tiger pitchers.
Pacific's Akins (3-2) took the loss after giving up three runs on three hits and two walks in four innings of work.
Bakersfield concluded the season with a 13-37 overall record, including three wins over defending national champion Fresno State and two against Big 12 member Nebraska. Other highlights included a season-opening series victory over St. Louis and a 15-inning thrilling win over UC Riverside, capped by a Jason Kudlock walk-off home run.
Score by Innings R H E
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CSU Bakersfield..... 000 300 300 - 6 9 2
Pacific............. 100 010 300 - 5 8 0
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Win - Jannis (2-8). Loss - Akins, C. (3-2). Save - Draxton (2).
E - Richardson 2(20). DP - Roadrunners 3; Tigers 1. LOB - Roadrunners 4; Tigers 6. 2B - Medina(13); Simms, J.(4); Centanni, J.(14); Gorang, B.(13). HR - Escalera(2). HBP - Longmire, N.; Gorang, B.. SF - Medina(3). SB - Longmire, N.(8); Brown, J.B.(3). CS - Richardson(5); Niley, J.(1).
