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Pinch Hit Double Earns Season-Opening Win
Feb. 10, 2004
Los Angeles, CA (Feb. 10) -- The Loyola Marymount University baseball team earned a 5-4 win over UC Riverside in the season-opener at Page Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. Senior Matthew White knocked in Kyle Mura with a pinch-hit double in the bottom of the eighth to give the Lions' the one-run win. White, who entered the game in the seventh at leftfield, hit a deep shot to right field with Mura on second to broke open a 3-3 game. The Lions (1-0) would then load the bases and senior Jonathan Higashi walked to score White for the eventual game winner. UC Riverside (1-7), who was ranked 39th in the preseason polls, would add a run when Aaron Grant scored on a single by Tony Festa to make the score 5-4. However, Clint McGill got Nike Salotti to ground out to short to end the game. McGill earned his first save in his career and Erik Reyes pitched two innings to earn his first career win in the college ranks. In the top of the eighth Salotti hit a solo home run to left-center to tie the game at 3-3 before the Lions answered with two in the bottom half of the inning. UC Riverside scored in the top of the first with an RBI single by Salotti to score Matt Cunningham, who doubled. However, Daniel Macias in his collegiate debut struck out the side in his only inning of work. The Lions would tie the game on a passed ball to score Billy Lockin, who singled and stole second and third.
In the bottom of the third the Lions to a 3-1 lead after Higashi doubled to center to move Joe Frazee to third. Frazee would then score on a balk. They would add run on an RBI ground out by Brady Koch to score Higashi.
Riverside would score their second run in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly by Scott Powis to score Jason Collette. On the day Higashi finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. Festa finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and Salotti was 2-for-4 with two RBI. The Lions will play a three-game series against No. 11 Baylor in Waco, Texas starting on Friday at 4:00 p.m. (PST) - GO LIONS - |
