College Baseball: ‘Eaters prevail on balk
After 20-plus innings without obtaining a lead in its Big West Conference baseball series, UC Irvine finally got visiting UC Davis to flinch.
The result was a dramatic 4-3 balk-off victory in 12 innings that halted a three-game losing streak and added to the legendary tales of manufacturing magic that some time ago made UCI Coach Mike Gillespie a Hall of Famer.
With two outs and a runner on third, UCI senior Kris Paulino broke for the plate as UC Davis closer Zach Stone entered his windup. Paulino’s dash apparently spooked Stone, who altered his motion on what would have been an 0-1 pitch to John Brontsema. Stone was called for a balk, which by rule entitled Paulino a free base and triggered a jubilant UCI celebration.
“We don’t get hardly any chance to do that, because almost everybody goes from the stretch [with a runner on third],” Gillespie said. “[UC Davis] has a history of winding up, and in the years we’ve been here, we have stolen home twice in two separate years. [Third-base coach] Ben Orloff was the first guy to see that he had gone to the windup, and then it became a no-brainer.”
It was hardly a no-doubter, however, especially for Gillespie, who in 28 years as a Division I head coach has made creative use of what he calls strategery to give his team less-than-conventional ways of winning ballgames.
“What is always worrisome to me is that the rules say that you can quicken your [pitching] actions, but you can’t change the mechanics of your delivery,” Gillespie said. “[Stone’s delivery] was dramatically different and the umpire called the balk. To tell you the truth, over the years it has been 50 times [he authorized an attempt to steal home] and that’s the first time I’ve ever seen the umpire call a balk.”
Orloff said the coaching staff discussed the exact scenario before the series began and Orloff reminded Gillespie about stealing home as soon as Paulino reached third on a groundout for the second out of the inning.
After using a stopwatch to time Stone’s delivery to the plate while delivering a strike to Brontsema, it was determined that it made sense to send Paulino.
“Any time there is a guy in the windup when we have a runner at third who can run a little bit, it’s in our mind to steal home,” Paulino said. “Especially in a game in which we’re not pushing across runs. You have to get creative.”
For the first six innings, it appeared the first-place Anteaters (22-13, 9-2 in conference) were creating ways to continue their recent slide.
UCI left the bases loaded in the second and third innings and allowed the Aggies (21-15-1, 5-6) to score two of their three runs without the benefit of a run batted in. The hosts hit into two double plays, had a runner thrown out at home, one caught stealing, and another erased at second trying to stretch a single.
But after a double-steal in a first-and-third-with-two-outs situation put the visitors up, 3-1, in the sixth inning, UCI junior starting pitcher Matt Esparza shut things down.
Esparza retired the next 10 hitters to bide time for a comeback. He threw 118 pitches in 9 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits. He walked none and struck out nine and, along with relief winner Cameron Bishop, rendered UC Davis two for 14 with runners in scoring position.
Freshman Keston Hiura got UCI on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly in the fifth and after UC Davis starter Raul Jacobson and Stone walked the bases loaded in the eighth, sophomore pinch-hitter Evan Cassolato sprayed an opposite-field single that drove in two and knotted the score, 3-3.
UCI, which finished two for 12 with runners in scoring position, finished with 10 runners left on base, one more than the Aggies.
Bishop, who gave up three hits in 2 2/3 scoreless innings, earned the win in his first collegiate decision. Like Esparza, he also earned the praise of Gillespie and his teammates.
“I’m proud of Esparza and I’m proud of Bishop,” said Gillespie, whose comments were mirrored by Paulino.
“[Esparza, who remains 7-1 with the no decision] pitched well late and Bishop came in as a freshman and showed a lot of confidence,” Paulino said. “[Bishop] had a rough inning [allowing a single and a walk to open the Davis 12th inning], then pitched out of it.”
Bishop thwarted a sacrifice-bunt attempt by forcing the runner at third, then induced two groundouts to end the threat and maintain the deadlock.
Junior shortstop Mikey Duarte was three for six to lead UCI’s 12-hit attack. Senior catcher Jerry McClanahan was two for five and Paulino, who entered the game in the fifth, was two for four.
Duarte playing the leadoff role with aplomb helped UCI put its initial batter on base in the first five innings and six of the first eight. But UCI did not lead off an inning by reaching safety again until a two-base throwing error by second baseman Tino Lipson followed Paulino’s grounder to open the 12th.
“Paulino’s postgame smile helped illustrate the importance of winning a game that appeared destined for defeat.
“After we lose three in a row and we’re in a big conference series, we’re down early and we’re down even late,” Paulino said. “It seemed like things weren’t going our way and we just kept grinding.”
Cassolato, who had three RBIs in 41 at-bats before delivering the game-tying hit, echoed the importance of the comeback triumph.
“This was a huge win for us,” Cassolato said. “We came in on a three-game losing streak following our 15-game winning streak, so it felt really good for us to get this one.”
Stone, who entered the game having allowed no earned runs and striking out 25 in 21 1/3 innings this season, was charged with two runs, one earned, on three hits in 4 1/3 innings to absorb his first loss in three decisions.
The rubber game of the series is Sunday at 1 p.m.
—
Big West Conference
UC Irvine 4, UC Davis 3 (12)
SCORE BY INNINGS
UCD 101 001 000 000 – 3 12 2
UCI 000 010 020 001 – 4 12 1
Jacobson, Stone (8) and Silva; Esparza, Bishop (10) and McClanahan. W – Bishop, 1-0. L – Stone, 2-1. 2B – Biley (UCD), Silva (UCD).