RIVERSIDE, Calif. — UC Riverside made the most of their chances Saturday, scoring five runs on just nine hits and one error. Meanwhile, the CSUB baseball team collected just eight hits and stranded seven on base in a 5-2 loss Saturday in the second of three games against the Highlanders.
The Roadrunners fell to 17-19 on the season while the Highlanders improved to 19-13 overall.
UC Riverside struck first Saturday night, scoring a pair of runs on two hits and a Roadrunner fielding error. An RBI-triple by Brian McConkey in the third gave the Highlanders a 3-0 lead and a Justin Shults solo home run in the fourth put the home team ahead 4-0.
Bakersfield left the bases loaded in the second and left a pair stranded on the third, but finally broke through in the sixth inning. Jason Kudlock led off the inning with a single up the middle, Kevin Younger singled to right and Kyle Richardson reached on a fielding error by Trevor Hairgrove at short, allowing Kudlock to score. JJ Henry bounced an RBI-fielder's choice to short, sending Younger home as the Roadrunners cut the deficit in half, 4-2.
CSUB starter Matt Reyes (3-2 went four-plus innings, striking out four and scattering seven hits for four runs. A leadoff double by Robert Brantly in the fifth chased Reyes to the dugout, bringing Juan Padilla to the mound in relief. After issuing a walk to the first batter he faced, Padilla recorded three consecutive outs in the fifth, and kept the Highlanders from adding to their lead in the sixth.
In the bottom of the seventh, Brantly led off with a double to deep right, pinch runner Phil Hollinsworth advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a Tony Nix sacrifice fly to left, padding the UCR lead, 5-2.
After their sixth-inning rally, the Roadrunners were shut down in the final three innings, going three up, three down in each frame.
Kudlock hit safely for the 15th consecutive outing, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Richardson also had two hits while four other Roadrunners had one hit each.
Padilla had a solid four innings of relief for CSUB, striking out two, walking one and allowing two hits for one run.
Highlander starter Dustin Emmons (5-3) fanned six and scattered eight hits for CSUB runs in seven complete innings. Derek Speigner pitched the eighth inning and Mitch Patito picked up his second save of the season, striking out two in the ninth.
The Roadrunners and Highlanders conclude their three-game series Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Riverside Sports Complex.
Score by Innings R H E
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CSU Bakersfield..... 000 002 000 - 2 8 1
UC Riverside........ 211 000 10X - 5 9 1
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Win - Emmons, D. (5-3). Loss - Reyes (3-2). Save - Patito, M. (2).
E - Rodriguez(5); Hairgrove, T(9). DP - UCR 1. LOB - CSUB 7; UCR 7. 2B -
Brantly, R. 2(15); Pellegrino,(2). 3B - McConkey, B.(6). HR - Shults, J.(7).
HBP - Boren; McConkey, B. 2. SH - Shults, J.(2). SF - Nix, T.(2). SB -
McConkey, B.(2); Gonzales, J.(6); Nix, T.(3). CS - Young, E.(3).
