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Date Posted: 10:10:08 03/31/02 Sun
Author: Jon Ralston
Subject: Tigers defeat Anteaters

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Originally Published Sunday, March 31, 2002
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Southpaw throws a curve at UC Irvine

By Lori Gilbert

Record Staff Writer

Joel Lozano was feeling good. The University of the Pacific junior left-hander found his curve ball, spent the previous two nights charting pitches and was pretty confident he knew the UC Irvine hitters as he got set to make his Big West Conference debut.

Then pitching coach Justin Kern walked up to him in the bullpen and said, "I don't want to put any added pressure on you, but you know, this is a big game. We won't want to go 0-3."

Lozano's response was seven solid innings as he led Pacific to a 4-2 win over the Anteaters on Saturday at Billy Hebert Field.

It was the Tigers' first conference win after falling to Thursday and Friday to UC Irvine, which is fielding a baseball team for the first time since 1992.

"You always want to win your first conference game and get off to a good start, and we dropped the first two, so this was big for the morale of this team," Lozano said. "We're only 1-2 in league, but that's a step forward. It's better than being 0-3."

The Tigers are 16-11 overall and 1-2 in the Big West because they did just about everything right Saturday. Lozano scattered seven hits, both runs, one of which was earned, and senior Ryan Jurvakainen pitched two shutout innings in relief.

Offensively, the Tigers made UC Irvine (19-14, 2-1) pay for every mistake. They turned Joel Summers' third-inning walk into their first run off Paul French (3-4), then scored again after Cory Lake drew a leadoff walk in the fourth.

With two out in the sixth, James Stanford walked and Adam Alverson reached when shortstop B.J. Eucce misplayed a line drive for an error. After Octavio Amezquita walked, No. 9 hitter Jeff Jodlowski delivered a two-run single to right.

"I've been in that situation a few times," Jodlowski said. "But I haven't been swinging the bat very well the last few games. I've been trying to change things up. To get a hit like that's exciting. It's a good feeling. It kind of gets you going."

Coach Quincey Noble, in his 13th season, is hoping his team can keep it going.

"If we maintain consistency, we're right there," he said. "With our lack of experience, it seems like we have to see it before we'll believe it. Now, they can believe they belong and can play here, that they can compete in conference and be in the upper level in it."

It will take more performances like Saturday's.

"As long as we play good defense, we have a chance to win," Jurvakainen said. "(Friday) we had a few crucial errors that might have been our downfall. (Saturday) we only had one error, an overthrow to first, and it didn't hurt us."

A passed ball allowed UC Irvine to score its first run, and Jaime Martinez's leadoff homer in the fourth gave the Anteaters a 2-1 lead. But Pacific answered in the bottom half, and Lozano and Jurvakainen didn't give UC Irvine another opportunity.

"I felt really good," said Lozano (4-0). "When we went to Fresno, I finally found my curve ball, which had been missing the first part of the season. With the curve, I was able to pitch my type of game. Instead of throwing the fastball for strikes to get ahead and then throw the curve, I throw off speed and curve balls to get ahead, then bring the heat by them trying to get them to fist one off or hit a lazy ground ball."

UC Irvine hitters put the ball on the ground 13 times with five going through for hits.

The Tigers needed just six hits to win this one.

Junior right fielder Tim Gilhooly didn't get one, ending his hitting streak at 27 games. It was the first game since the season began that the transfer from Chabot College failed to get a hit, but his ground ball in the third scored the Tigers' first run.

* To reach reporter Lori Gilbert, phone 546-8284 or e-mail lgilbert@recordnet.com

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