SAN DIEGO, Calif. --- The 'Eaters returned from a weeklong hiatus to get back to its winning ways handing San Diego a 9-2 loss in Fowler Park Tuesday night.
UC Irvine (15-7) wasted no time getting crafty executing a double steal for a first-inning run. USD (15-12) would answer with a solo home run in the bottom half, but the 'Eaters didn't let that last with two runs in the top of the second without needing a hit.
That score stood up for a while as starter Alonzo Garcia was relieved by a string of weekend starters shutting down the Toreros through the middle innings led by two innings from Cameron Bishop.
He would ultimately take home the victory, his fourth, as UCI piled on two-run innings down the stretch started off from a two-run opposite field shot from Keston Hiura in the seventh.
UCI squeaked out two unorthodox runs in the eighth before Mitchell Holland bookended the frames with a two-run homer of his own to complete the 9-2 score.
Hiura finished with three RBIs adding to his streaks reaching base for the 38th straight game and rattling off a hit in his 12th straight.
His seventh HR was joined by his first teammate to connect for one on the season in Holland. Each also reached on a hit by pitch along with the king himself, Adam Alcantara. It was his 12th of the season to go along with an RBI single and two runs scored.
UCI also had five of the unlikeliest stolen bases in the game. John Brontsema had a pair, one of which of home plate, including a pair of hits and RBIs. The other three came from Alex Guenette, his second of the season, and a first each for Jonathan Munoz and Andrew Martinez.
USD could never put anything together scratching out six hits. Brhet Bewley had the lone two-hit game, and came around on a pinch-hit double from Kevin Collard. Collard was cut down trying to stretch it out to a triple on a relay from Hiura to Cole Kreuter on to Coss.
Ben Ritchey gave up the run joining Garcia and Bishop as the only 'Eaters to go more than an inning on the evening.
Sean Barry struggled as the Torero starter going 1.2 innings throwing 54 pitches and giving up just one hit to draw the loss. Nick Sprengel and Taylor Kaczmarek were solid in relief for 4.1 innings before Paul Richan and Wes Judish combined to give up the final six runs.
UCI is now 15-7 on the year as they head into conference play. The series starts in Hawai'i on Friday, April 1 at 9:35 p.m. Pacific time.
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