Feb. 22, 2004
Box Score
TUCSON, Ariz. - Not even four hours and eight minutes, a school record-tying effort by a freshman or 10 innings was enough for either UC Irvine or No. 13-ranked Arizona to decide their three-game series finale tilt on Kindall Field at Sancet Stadium on Sunday. A 7:30 pm flight out of Tucson for the Anteaters halted the game in an 8-8 tie
The two schools combined to rap out 30 hits, commit six errors, use 11 pitchers and strand 21 runners on base and still not have the game end with a winner or a loser. UA freshman Jason Donald, who finished 6 for 6 with a home run, a RBI and two runs scored, tied a school record for the most hits in single game.
For Arizona (5-3-1) the deadlocked contest marked the first time since 1995 that a game ended in a tie. UCI, which took the weekend series two games to none, left Tucson with a 5-2-1 overall mark.
A day after stranding 10 runners in a 6-5 loss, the Wildcats left 12 men on base in the tie on Sunday, including players in scoring position in each of the final six innings
UCI got on the scoreboard first with a pair of runs in the opening inning. A run-scoring balk by UA starter Luis Cortez and home run by Irvine's R.J. Brown handed the Anteaters the early 2-0 lead and marked the eighth time in nine games this season that the Wildcats have given up at least one run in the first inning.
Irvine added another in the top of the third for a three-run advantage on a safety squeeze bunt by second baseman Matt Fisher that scored Kyle Ryckebosch.
Trailing 3-0 and having tallied just two hits through the first four innings of play, the Wildcats finally responded in the home half of the fifth on a two-run double by Moises Duran that scored Derek Decater and Richard Mercado.
UA took a two-run lead an inning later on Donald's team-high fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to lead off the frame, and a pair of RBI singles by Bill Rhinehart and John Hardy.
The Wildcat pitchers and defense failed to protect the lead however, as UCI scored five runs in the seventh off of three different UA pitchers. A fielding error by Donald on a potential double play ball and a three-run double by Erik Johnson proved to be the two key plays in the inning.
Arizona tied the game at 8-8 with the final three runs on singles by Decater, Mercado and Pat Reilly in the bottom of the seventh.
The Wildcats will head north to Tempe for a single game non-conference contest with Arizona State on Tuesday before heading to Waco, Texas, for a three-game series against Baylor. First pitch against the Sun Devils is set for 7 pm.
Notes: Arizona's last tie game came on Feb. 26, 1995, in a 3-3 deadlock against Texas A&M in College Station ... Jason Donald's six-hit game on Sunday tied him with Richard Mercado (2003), Chris Gump (1993), Les Pearsey (1978), Ron Hassey (1974) and John Glenn (1972) for the most hits in a single game ... Arizona is winless in it last four games.
