Feb. 5, 2005
(San Diego, CA) - The USD Toreros remain winless this season playing on its home field of Cunningham Stadium, dropping a 7-4 decision to UC Riverside Saturday afternoon. San Diego (6-4-1) starter Josh Butler took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and USD's offense had twice as many hits as UC Riverside (3-2), but the Highlanders scored five runs in the seventh inning to even the weekend series at a game apiece. USD, now 0-4-1 this season at home, went 21-6 at Cunningham Stadium a year ago.
Butler, a sophomore right-hander from Danville made his third start of the year for the host Toreros, limiting the Highlanders to two hits over six complete innings. Butler put UC Riverside on the scoreboard in the third inning, walking five Highlander batters to push across the game's first run. Butler issued six walks before freshman Dustin Church came on to work the seventh.
For the second consecutive game with UCR, Torero infielder's Keoni Ruth and Ryan Lilly got San Diego on the scoreboard with back-to-back hits. With one out and trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Ruth doubled in outfielder Reginald Foy and Lilly followed with an RBI single to plate Ruth.
UCR right fielder Aaron Grant led off the Highlander sixth with a triple down the right field line, the first hit allowed by Butler, and eventually scored to even the game at 2-2.
The Highlanders broke open the tie game an inning later, scoring five runs off Church and freshman classmate Matthew Couch in the seventh. All-Big West first baseman Nick Salotti hit a towering three-run homerun over the trees beyond the left field fence off Couch to cap-off an inning that gave UCR a 7-2 advantage.
San Diego and UC Riverside play the rubber game of the weekend set Sunday at 1pm in Riverside. USD ace Justin Blaine is expected to start for the Toreros.
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