Stockton, Calif. – The Roadrunners scored five times in the sixth to take a 7-3 lead, but Pacific answered with seven consecutive runs to down CSU Bakersfield in Sunday's series finale, 10-7, and take the weekend series two games to one, at Klein Family Field in Stockton, Calif. The CSUB bullpen faltered for the second-straight day, dropping the `Runners to 5-10 on the season ahead of next week's Big West Conference opening series at UC Riverside.
"We did a nice job competing at the plate and hit a lot of balls hard today," said CSUB Head Coach Jeremy Beard. "But, after pulling ahead with a four-run lead, we offered too many free bases and they took advantage. Defense was the difference in the series. They made timely plays and we did not."
The Tigers raced out to an early 3-0 lead, scoring twice in the second inning and again in the third, on a long home run from Colby Canales, to chase CSUB starter Kellen O'Connor after just 2.1 innings pitched. O'Connor allowed seven hits and three earned, while striking out three.
Andrew Allanson had three hits for Bakersfield and Jashia Morrissey had two, including the first home run of his career in the top of the fifth inning.
CSUB led 7-3 after a five-run sixth inning. Only three of the Tigers' final seven runs were earned, as Pacific came from behind for their seventh win of the season.
"Our guys are ambitious to clean up our play heading into league games and we expect a quality week of work ahead of our Riverside series," Beard added.
HOW IT HAPPENED...
B2 | Pacific jumped ahead by two in the second when Chase Meyers doubled down the line in right field to score Jared Weiss and James McClenagh. Both Weiss and McClenagh had reached on singles.
B3 | First baseman Colby Canales jumped on a fastball and hit a solo home run in the third inning to chase O'Connor and extend Pacific's lead to 3-0.
T5 | Jashia Morrissey pounced on an 0-1 fastball and belted his first career home run over the fence in right field to put Bakersfield on the board. Three batters later James Bell pulled CSUB within one with a sacrifice fly to right.
T6 | The Roadrunners sent 10 men to the plate in the sixth, scoring 5 times. Jashia Morrissey and Nic Anderson-Vine turned around run-scoring singles, while Evan Rice and James Bell each hit sacrifice flies in the inning. Second baseman Tyler Vargas walked in a run.
B6 | After two quick outs in the inning, Jarrod Silva walked, and Thomas Gavello was hit by a pitch. Both would score on Canales' double down the line in left field, pulling the Tigers within two.
B7 | Pacific tied the four times in the seventh to take the lead for good, using an RBI groundout and a sacrifice fly to pull even, before Vagello's two-run double provided the game-winning runs.
NOTABLE...
* Jashia Morrissey finished 2-for-4 and homered for the first time as a Roadrunner. He scored twice and drove in a pair to lead CSUB's offensive attack.
* Starter Kellen O'Connor surrendered three earned runs, the only earned runs allowed by Bakersfield starting pitchers this weekend.
* AJ Miller finished the series 5-for-11 with a double and a home run, he now has 14 hits in his last 31 at bats. Allanson was 4-for-12 with a pair of doubles against Pacific on the weekend.
ON DECK...
Bakersfield turns its attention to Big West Conference play and begins a three-game league series at UC Riverside on Friday, Mar. 18 at 6:00 p.m. The Roadrunners and Highlanders will play again on Saturday, Mar. 19 and wrap up the conference series on Sunday, Mar. 20. CSUB won a four-game series against UCR, in Bakersfield, a season ago.
