Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
UC Santa Barbara
Gauchos Down Bulldogs, 22-9
2/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 28, 2004
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Led by a 24-hit offensive attack, UC Santa Barbara rallied from a six-run deficit to defeat Fresno State 22-9 Saturday at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. The hits and runs totals are the most allowed by the Bulldogs this season.
With the loss, the Bulldogs had a three-game losing streak snapped to fall to 6-8 while the Gauchos up their overall record to 7-5.
Fresno State held a 7-1 lead after three innings with a pair of runs in the first, one in the second and four in the third.
The Gauchos plated 16 unanswered runs between the fourth and seventh innings to take a commanding 17-7 lead. In the fourth, UCSB infielder Chris Valaika socked his first collegiate homer with a two-run blast to spark a five-run rally. Valaika had a career day going 5-5 with two doubles, five runs scored and three RBI. Greg Powers and Bill Rowe each clubbed their second round tripper of the year with two-run homers. Powers went yard in the seventh while Rowe hit one over the right field fence in the eighth. One of two players with five RBI on the day, Powers (3-4) and Chris Malec (3-6) combined to drive in 10 of the Gauchos' 22 runs.
UCSB reliever Loren Fraser (2-0) scattered a run on four hits and two walks while striking out one over 3.1 innings to earn his second victory of the year.
Fresno State sophomore righthander Rudy Quinonez (1-3) was touched for three runs on three hits and three walks in 2/3 inning in relief to suffer the loss.
Fresno State senior catcher Brandon Marcelli went 1-4 with a single to extend his hitting streak to a team season high eight games. Senior infielder Chris Patrick posted his second three-hit game of the year going 3-5.
The series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. Fresno State freshman lefthander Brandon Miller (1-0, 0.90) is scheduled to oppose UCSB righty Michael Martin (3-0, 1.40).
Fresno State 214 000 011 - 9 12 0UC Santa Barbara 010 533 64x - 22 24 0Griffin, Quinonez (4), Ball (5), Girazian (5), Romero (7), Scott (7), Infante (7), Ponce (8), and Marcelli and Pierce (8); Holguin, Fraser (3), Ramirez (7), McRobbie (8), and Vogt and LaGrotta (8). W- Fraser (2-0). L- Quinonez (1-3). S- None. Hrs: FS: None; UCSB: Valaika (1), Powers (2), Rowe (2). T: 3:31. Att: 250.
