College Baseball: ‘Eaters trounce Toreros
The UC Irvine baseball team finished off its March gladness with a 13-4 nonconference thumping of No. 25-ranked San Diego on Tuesday at Anteater Ballpark.
The Anteaters (15-10), won their ninth straight to wrap up an 11-game home stand with a 10-1 record. The nine-game win streak is best among Big West Conference schools this season and caps a 12-3 march for Coach Mike Gillespie’s squad.
UCI, which opened the season 0-6 (all on the road) and is now 12-3 at home, enters its conference road series against UC Riverside (Thursday through Saturday) tied atop the conference with UC Davis at 3-0. It would be hard to imagine a higher ceiling in terms of confidence.
UCI, which has outscored opponents, 56-24, during the winning streak, pounded out 15 hits, tied for second-most this season, and scored multiple runs in four innings against six Toreros pitchers. The 13 runs were a season-best and mark only the fourth double-digit output all season.
Sophomore Adam Alcantara came off the bench to go three for three with a career-high five runs batted in and sophomore right fielder Evan Cassolato was three for four with two RBIs for the hosts. The three hits and two RBIs were both career-bests for Cassolato.
Five ‘Eaters had more than one hit and five drove in more than one run to drop USD to 16-10.
Junior first baseman Mitchell Holland was two for four with two RBIs and two runs. He also made a pair of sparkling defensive plays for the winners.
Freshman left fielder Keston Hiura was two for five and upped his team-leading RBI total to 20, while extending his team-best hitting streak to 12 games.
Junior shortstop Mikey Duarte had two hits and added to the sparkling defense. With one out in the fourth, he ranged to his left and dived to pounce on a grounder. Without time to regain his feet, he threw out the runner from his knees.
Senior catcher Jerry McClanahan was one for one with three walks and scored three times. He also handled six UCI pitchers, who surrendered a combined eight hits.
Sophomore starter Alonzo Garcia allowed one run on three hits to improve to 2-0.
Freshman Cameron Bishop and sophomore Sean Sparling each worked two shutout innings, while freshman Newport Harbor High product Shaun Vetrovec tossed a scoreless ninth.
Freshman second baseman Cole Kreuter drove in a pair of runs to round out a balanced bludgeoning in which eight Anteaters recorded hits, eight scored and 10 reached base.
Kreuter’s infield single plated Holland in the second inning to open the scoring and, after USD knotted the score with a solo homer in the third, UCI parlayed five singles and a hit batter into a four-run third inning to establish control. Kreuter’s two RBIs were also a career high.
USD managed just four hits through seven innings, before using three hits, including another homer, to tally three runs in the eighth.
USD junior Jacob Hill, who helped lead Orange Coast College to a state and national championship last season, was the best of the Torero hurlers Tuesday. He allowed one hit and no runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief.
—
Nonconference
UC Irvine 13, San Diego 4
SCORE BY INNINGS
USD 001 000 030 – 4 8 2
UCI 014 020 24x – 13 15 1
Burdick, Teaney (3), J. Hill (5), Reitzler (7), Parkinson (8), Stinnett (8) and Adams; Garcia, Bishop (4), Sparling (6), Fielding (8), Davis (8), Vetrovec (9) and McClanahan. W – Garcia, 2-0. L – Burdick, 2-2. 2B – Brigman (USD), Duarte (UCI), Cassolato (UCI), Hiura (UCI). HR – Waltner (USD), Bailey (USD).