University of Houston
<B> UC SANTA BARBARA</b>
Cougar Rally Falls Short
3/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 8, 2008
HOUSTON, Texas - After posting a four-run, eighth-inning rally that knotted the score at 7-all, the University of Houston ran out of gas in the ninth inning, giving up two runs to UC Santa Barbara en route to a 9-7 loss to the Gauchos at Cougar Field on Saturday night.
The loss drops the Cougars to 7-5 on the season, while UCSB improves to 8-4.
The Gauchos took the early lead by scoring two runs in the first and one in the second. UCSB put runners on first and third with no outs to start the first inning. After a groundout scored a run, the Gauchos scored an unearned run when UH second baseman Ryan Lormand booted John DeAlba's ground ball.
Santa Barbara plated its third run on an RBI single by Brian Gump. Gump finished the evening with a five-for-five performance with three RBI.
The Cougars countered with two runs in the third to cut the Gaucho lead to 3-2. Jimmy Cesario started the rally with a single up the middle. Chris Wallace reached on an error by UCSB shortstop Matt Valaika. After Chase Dempsay sacrificed the runners up a base, Blake Kelso brought the first run in on a sacrifice fly to right field. Then, Jake Stewart laced a single to left field to score Wallace.
UCSB increased its lead to 6-2 with one run in the fifth and two in the sixth. Gump got the Gauchos scoring again in the fifth by leading off the inning with one of his five singles. He later scored on a sacrifice fly by Valaika. In the sixth Gump's third single scored one run, and Chris Fox singled and scored Patrick Rose and in the process chased UH starter Jared Ray.
After the Gauchos scored one in the eighth to increase their lead to 7-3, the Cougars mounted their game-tying rally. Pinch-hitting for Dempsay, Matt Murphy started the inning with a double down the right-field line. After moving up one base on a wild pitch, and staying put on a one-out infield single by Stewart, Murphy scored on a balk by UCSB reliever Clay Edwards. After a Bryan Tully struck out, Bryan Pounds singled through the left side to score Stewart.
Lormand reached on an error by Rose to put runners on the corners, and then Austin Goolsby singled to right center to score Pounds and cut the Gaucho lead to 7-6. Cesario checked his swing but placed a double just out of the reach of Santa Barbara second baseman Shane Carlson to tie the score.
With Tully (0-1) coming in to pitch, the Gauchos took the lead for good in the ninth. Committing the Cardinal Sin of baseball, Tully walked the lead-off hitter DeAlba, who was promptly sacrificed to second by Carlson. Valaika hit a double just out of the reach of Stewart down the left-field line to score DeAlba. After a pop-up to Kelso, Gump hit his fifth single of the day to score Valaika.
In the ninth the Cougars had a chance for another rally. With one out Kelso singled and Stewart walked off Zach Samuels (1-0), the Gauchos' fourth pitcher of the night. But, Samuels settled down and coaxed a pop up from Tully and struck out Pounds to end the game.
Ray pitched five-and-two-thirds innings, giving up six runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Stewart was the Cougars top offensive performer, going three-for-four with two runs scored.
The Cougars wrap up their three-game series with UC Santa Barbara tomorrow afternoon at Cougar Field. First pitch is slated for 1 pm.
---www.UHCougars.com---
