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Evan Berkey
Mark Duffel

Baseball

CSUB Hosts Highlanders Tomorrow Night

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The CSU Bakersfield baseball team will be back at home on Tuesday night when they host future Big West rival UC Riverside for a 6:00 p.m. first pitch. 

Setting the Scene
CSUB (15-18, 3-6 WAC) is an impressive 9-4 at Hardt Field this season and is 3-3 against Big West opponents so far this year.  The `Runners won 3-of-4 games against Hawaii but lost both contests to Cal Poly.  The Mustangs are currently second in the conference with a 4-2 record, while the Rainbow Warriors are just a game behind at 3-3. 

The Roadrunners will look to get back on track Tuesday after a tough week.  CSUB lost all three games to Sacramento State this past weekend, but every game went down to the wire.  The `Runners lost 4-3 in 10 innings in the series opener, and nearly made a miraculous comeback in Game 2 before falling 10-7.  CSUB also lost in the bottom of the ninth on Sunday. This weekend, CSUB will head down to Riverside for a three-game series with California Baptist. 

The Highlanders are just 8-21 on the season and 1-5 against Big West competition.  UC Riverside enters Hardt Field on a five-game losing streak.  They lost the final game of their series against UC Davis, lost a midweek to San Diego and were swept by CSUN over the weekend. 

UC Riverside and CSUB have a number of common opponents already this season, including Loyola Marymount, San Francisco and UNLV.  Neither team was able to secure a win against the three programs.  The Highlanders are 4-0 against Western Athletic Conference competition, beating Grand Canyon in a midweek game and sweeping crosstown rival California Baptist in a three-game set. 

Series History
The Highlanders hold a 15-8 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs.  The two schools had met in four straight seasons before taking a one-year hiatus last spring.  CSUB took 2-of-3 games in the last series in March of 2017. 

Two seasons ago, Isaac Meza had two solid outings out of the bullpen.  He allowed just one earned run in 3.2 innings pitched and picked up a win in relief.  Jake Ortega played in all three games, making one start, and going 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs batted in.  Outfielder Cole Valletta also had a solid series with three hits, a double and two knocked in. 

Scouting the Highlanders
UC Riverside was picked to finish ninth in the Big West prior to the season and has struggled on the mound.  The Highlanders come to Bakersfield with a 7.79 ERA, which ranks 285th nationally out of 297 teams.  The Highlanders do not strike out many opposing hitters and have just 213 in 250.2 innings.  For comparison, CSUB has 300 strikeouts already this season in just 284.2 innings. 

At the plate, the Highlanders are batting just .243 as a team, but have blasted 22 home runs.  Yeager Taylor is leading the way with a .326 average, three doubles and three home runs.  Dean Miller and Connor Cannon have both hit six long balls to power the attack.  The pair also has six doubles each and boast slugging percentages over .500. 

Rowley Catching Fire
Nobody in the Western Athletic Conference has swung a hotter bat over the last three weeks that junior Jesse Rowley.  The Salem, Utah native is leading the league in batting average (.517) and on-base percentage (.588) in conference games and is tied fourth in hits (15).  For the year, Rowley is hitting .276, which is fourth on the team and his OPS of .723 is also fourth on the squad. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Isaac Meza

#34 Isaac Meza

RHP
6' 4"
Junior
R/R
Jake Ortega

#33 Jake Ortega

C
5' 10"
Senior
L/R
Cole Valletta

#14 Cole Valletta

OF
6' 2"
Senior
R/R
Jesse Rowley

#1 Jesse Rowley

1B
6' 1"
Junior
L/R

Players Mentioned

Isaac Meza

#34 Isaac Meza

6' 4"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Jake Ortega

#33 Jake Ortega

5' 10"
Senior
L/R
C
Cole Valletta

#14 Cole Valletta

6' 2"
Senior
R/R
OF
Jesse Rowley

#1 Jesse Rowley

6' 1"
Junior
L/R
1B
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