Feb. 20, 2004
Box Score
SAN DIEGO, CA- San Diego (5-8) took the opening game of a three-game weekend series with UC Riverside (5-8) by a score of 7-6 Friday afternoon at USD's Cunningham Stadium. Gavin Ng broke a tie game in the bottom of the eighth inning, singling and later scoring on an RBI bunt-single by Trevor Pike. Tom Caple struck out the side in the ninth to secure the win for San Diego. The series continues Saturday at 1pm in Riverside.
Caple not only took the mound to shut down the Highlander offense, but went 2-for-3 as the starting centerfielder, scored three runs and registered an RBI triple. Caple improved to 1-2 on the year as the pitcher of record for USD. UCR reliever Brian Hoff (1-1) took the loss.
Caple scored San Diego's first run Friday on a base hit courtesy of junior third baseman Freddy Sandoval. Caple is USD's leader in runs scored this season (15) and Sandoval leads the team in RBI (15). Sandoval's single in the third cut into an early 2-0 Riverside lead.
The Highlanders took a two-run advantage earlier in the inning on back-to-back RBI singles courtesy of catcher Nick Salotti and first baseman Jason Collette. The runs were generated off Torero starter Aaron Wilson. Wilson worked five complete innings, scattered six hits and struck out two. With USD leading 3-2, Wilson was lifted in the sixth in favor of left-handed freshman Nate Boman.
Highlander leadoff hitter Brett Bigler hit a two-out single off Boman in the top of the sixth to score Aaron Seuss and even the score at three. San Diego again would answer offensively. UCR starter A.J. Shappi was chased in the sixth after Keoni Ruth's RBI single allowed USD a 4-3 advantage.
San Diego tacked on two more runs in the seventh to establish a 6-3 lead. The freshmen arms of Boman and Josh Butler surrendered three runs to UCR in the eighth, culminated by Matt Cunningham's game-tying two-RBI single. Caple came on to face a pair of batters, walking Collette to load the bases before inducing an inning-ending groundout to retire the side.
Ng led off the USD half of the eighth with a bunt single and advanced to second on a sacrifice by Ruth. Ng used his speed to stay in scoring position, sliding safely into third base on ground ball hit to UCR shortstop Brian Steinmeyer. Pike laid down what would prove to be the game-winning RBI on a bunt single down the third base line. Caple did the rest, striking out the side in the top half of the ninth.
