IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine played host to a South Korean professional baseball club Thursday night in Anteater Ballpark with the NC Dinos coming away with a 6-2 victory.
The Dinos did most of their damage early on with runs in four consecutive innings from the second to the fifth with the long ball playing a factor.
Eric Thames mashed a three-run home run to center field in the third inning to extend the margin to 4-0. NC Dinos concluded their scoring with a leadoff HR in the fifth inning from Na Sung Bum to make it a six-run game.
UCI provided its own fireworks with a towering blast to open up the sixth from Andrew Martinez. It added a second run with two outs in the ninth as pinch-hitter Matt Reitano walked and was followed by another pinch-hitter in Alex Guenette who laced a double into the right-center gap to bring home Reitano just before the final out of the 6-2 contest.
Each squad dipped into their bullpens as 12 pitchers took the mound on the evening. Eric Hacker and Chung Soo Min combined for four one-hit innings to open up the contest for NC Dinos.
Alonzo Garcia allowed just one unearned run in his two innings of work. Mitchell Miller was tagged for five of the runs on the night. Miles Glazier, Jordan Bocko, and Daniel Alvarez, making his Anteater debut, combined down the stretch for four no-hit innings to keep the 'Eaters within striking distance.
The Anteaters get back to the games that count on Friday opening a three-game set a third straight opponent out of the Mountain West Conference in Nevada. First pitch comes down at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow night with senior Elliot Surrey taking the mound.
_________________________________________________________
For UC Irvine Athletics ticket information, please call (949) 824-5000 or e-mail athletics.tickets@uci.edu. For more information click here.
For information on how you can help support UC Irvine Athletics, please call (949) 824-6933 or e-mail aaf@uci.edu. For additional information, click here.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and by downloading the UCI Front Row app, available free to all Anteater fans through iTunes and Google Play, to view schedules, results, and up-to-the-minute news.
