May 11, 2002
CHICO, Calif. - After 67 hits, 45 runs and over seven hours of play, Cal State San Bernardino came away with two victories and the California Collegiate Athletic Association title as it defeated UC Davis, 13-12 and 11-9, in the CCAA Championship Tournament Saturday afternoon at Nettleton Stadium.
With the losses, the Aggies conclude their season at 33-26, reaching the championship game of the conference tournament for the first time. San Bernardino came back after dropping its first game of the tournament to win four straight and capture its first CCAA title. UC Davis entered the day needing just one win to secure the title, but after the 13-12 loss in extra innings, the championship came down to a single game.
In the nightcap, the Coyotes scored four runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back as they took control by scoring four more in the third to take an 8-2 lead. The Aggies would rally as they scored two in the third on a Matt Kamigawachi RBI single and a Mark Wells sacrifice fly. UC Davis would add three more in the fifth as Kamigawachi led off the frame with his second home run of the day.
It was not enough as San Bernardino came right back with three in the bottom of the inning as the Coyotes took advantage of four walks and a two-run single from Mark Ayala, pushing the lead to 11-5. UC Davis would not quit, scoring four runs in the top of the seventh to pull within two at 11-9. But the Aggies would get no closer as San Bernardino reliever Ricky Guzman shut the Aggies out over the final two innings.
"It was great the way we battled back all day long," said Aggie Head Coach Phil Swimley, who most likely was coaching his last game as the Aggie head coach. "We played well enough to win both games, but the breaks didn't fall our way. We had chances to quit in the second game and the players never did. They kept fighting and I am very proud of the way they played.
"Over the last two-thirds of the season, I think we played as well as anybody," Swimley continued. "How can you ask your kids for anything more than that."
In the first game, the Coyotes scored runs in each of the last six innings as they rallied from a 6-2 deficit, forcing a second game on Saturday to determine the CCAA champions.
San Bernardino jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first as Richie Vega followed Adam Rabusin's leadoff single with a home run to right. UC Davis responded with four runs in the bottom of the second as an RBI single by Dustin Soderman and a two-run double by Matt Blankenheim put the Aggies up 3-2. Blankenheim scored on a wild pitch to increase the lead to 4-2.
The Aggies added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth following a two-run single to right from Ryan Coultas, pushing the lead to 6-2. After a slow start, Aggie starter Julio Marquez had settled into a groove, allowing just two hits over the next three innings. The Coyotes finally broke through with two in the top of the fifth and went ahead with three in the top of the sixth, the big blast being a two-out, two-run home run off the bat of Keith Haughn.
San Bernardino increased its lead to 9-6 in the seventh following Rene Leon's RBI double and an Aggie double-play in which Leon scored. UC Davis would claw back with three runs in its half of the seventh, but then Haughn's second home run of the game, a two-run blast in the eighth, gave the Coyotes an 11-9 lead.
Controversy occurred in the bottom of the eighth inning as Mark Pugal led off with a pinch-hit single to right. The next batter, Robby Tulk, lined a shot to deep right field that the Aggies thought the ball went over the fence. Both Pugal and Tulk slowed up rounding the bases, claiming the third base umpire signaled ground rule double. San Bernardino, however, threw the ball in and caught Pugal between home and third before being tagged out. UC Davis argued the umpire had signaled the ball had left the field, but to no avail. The play stood with one out and Tulk on third, rather than no outs with runners and second and third. The Aggies would end up scoring three runs in the inning, taking a 12-11 lead into the ninth.
San Bernardino added a single run in the 10th to take the lead before one final Aggie rally. UC Davis opened the bottom of the inning with three straight singles to load the bases with no outs. But two pop ups to the right side and a fly out to right field ended the game with all three runners stranded.
Offensively, Kamigawachi led the Aggies on the day by collecting eight hits, including two home runs, and four RBIs. Blankenheim added five hits while Coultas added four, two in each game.
Both teams now await word from the NCAA on Sunday as to who advances to the four-team NCAA West Regional, beginning Thursday. The Aggies entered the week ranked No.8 in the region while San Bernardino entered at No.6.
"How could you ask for more on your last day of coaching then to play for eight hours," said Swimley, who most likely concludes his Aggie career with a 902-832-15 record.
At the conclusion of the tournament, the CCAA announced its all-tournament team. Flippen, Coultas, Kamigawachi, McCullough and Greg Bruso were the Aggies named to the 11-person team.
GAME 1
CS San Bernardino 2 0 0 0 2 3 2 2 1 1 - 13 18 0
UC Davis 0 4 0 2 0 0 3 3 0 0 - 12 17 3
WP - Eduardo Trujillo (3-2). LP - Michael Schofield (1-1). UCD - Julio Marquez, Dave McKae (6), Andy Brutlag (9), Michael Schofield (10) and Andy Reisinger, Cody Noghera. CSUSB - Tawd Frensley, Chris White (2), Ricky Guzman (7), Hector Torres (8), Eduardo Trujillo (9) and Brian Schweiger.
TOP HITTERS: UCD - Matt Kamagawachi, 3x6, HR, RBI; Ryan Coultas, 2x4, 3RBI; Shaun McCullough, 2x5, 2 RBI; Matt Blankenheim, 2x6, 2B, 2 RBI; Dennis Flippen, 2x2, 3 Runs; Robby Tulk, 1x4, 2B; Mark Wells, 1x4, RBI; Dustin Soderman, 1x3, RBI; Ross Warner, 1x1, RBI; Andy Reisinger, 1x1; Mark Pugal, 1x1. CSUSB - Keith Haughn, 3x5, 2 HR, 2B, 4 RBI; Chris McAllen, 3x5, 2B, 2RBI; Mark Ayala, 3x5, 2B; Richie Vega, 2x4, HR, 2RBI; Adam Rabusin, 2x7; Rene Leon, 1x5, 2B, 2RBI; Ronnie Herrera, 1x1, RBI; Shaun Rudi, 1x1; Josh Sanchez, 1x3; Brian Schweiger, 1x4.
GAME 2
UC Davis (33-26) 0 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 0 - 9 18 0
CS San Bernardino (34-24) 4 0 4 0 3 0 0 0 x - 11 14 2
WP - Ricky Guzman (1-1). LP - Trevor Thornton (5-3). UCD - Trevor Thornton, Peter Soskin (3), Michael Schofield (6), Jeff Vignau (7) and Cody Noghera, Andy Reisinger. CSUSB - Eduardo Trujillo, Steven Fitch (3), Ricky Guzman (7) and Ryan Simpson.
TOP HITTERS: UCD - Matt Kamigawachi, 5x6, HR, 3RBI; Matt Blankenheim, 3x5, 2B, 2RBI; Robby Tulk, 2x6, RBI; Ryan Coultas, 2x5; Dustin Soderman, 2x5; Dennis Flippen, 1x4, RBI; Mark Wells, 1x5, RBI; Mark Pugal, 1x1; Cody Noghera, 1x2. CSUSB - Chris McAllen, 3x5, HR, 2RBI; Adam Rabusin, 2x5; Ryan Simmpson, 2x5; Josh Sanchez, 2x3, 2RBI; Rene Leon, 1x3, 2B, 2RBI; Mark Ayala, 1x4, 2RBI; Keith Haughn, 1x4; Richie Vega, 1x4; Oscar Barreras, 1x3, 3RBI.
