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Baseball:
Cusick, Bardeen Push No. 5 UCI Past Florida International
March 21, 2008 TEMPE, Ariz. --- UCI's Jeff Cusick went 3 for 4 with an RBI and Brock Bardeen hit his first collegiate home run to lead the fifth-ranked Anteaters to a 5-2 win over Florida International at the Bob Schaefer Memorial Tournament at Arizona State. The win was UCI's seventh straight as the team improved to 15-1 overall. All-American pitcher Scott Gorgen improved to 4-1 after striking out nine and surrendering two runs on seven hits while walking two. Sophomore closer Eric Pettis struck out one and yielded a hit in 1.2 innings to lock up his fourth save of the season. FIU got on the board in the first inning as Jorge Castillo capitalized on a leadoff double from Corey Lozana with an RBI single up the middle for a 1-0 lead. Cusick, who had UCI's first hit of the game in the second inning, also drove in the team's first run with a game-tying hit to score Ben Orloff in the fourth. Bardeen gave UCI the lead in the fifth inning, driving a first-pitch offering from starter Chris Allen over the right-field fence to stake the Anteaters to a 3-1 lead. Catcher Francis Larson laced his team-high sixth double of the season in the sixth to drive in Cusick and Orloff doubled to lead off the eighth and scored on an FIU error to cap the scoring for the Anteaters. Orloff finished the day 2 for 3 with two runs scored. FIU added a run in the eighth, getting a run on a Raimy Fuentes single and had runners on first and second with one out. However, Pettis induced Javier Sujo to hit into an inning-ending double-play to end the threat. FIU was led by Ryan Mollica, Jorge Castillo and Raimy Fuentes, who had two hits apiece. Allen dropped to 2-2 after giving up five runs (four earned) on 10 hits in seven innings.
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