DAVIS, Calif. --- UC Irvine rebounded with some unconventional tactics to rise above UC Davis, 6-4, Saturday afternoon in Dobbins Stadium.
After the 'Eaters had relinquished a three-run lead, they began the sixth inning with a single from Jonathan Munoz and well-worked walk to Wyatt Castro to chase starter Spencer Henderson. With two outs, Cole Kreuter came up and punched a single over the second baseman to score Munoz and move Castro to third now with a 4-3 lead.
With Grant Palmer at bat, Kreuter broke for second on a delayed steal. The catcher threw down to second allowing Castro to break for home and slide around the tag to open up a two-run lead, 5-3. Kreuter would advance to third on a balk followed by a walk to Palmer to set up the same situation. With an 0-2 count to John Brontsema, Palmer shot off for second with reliever Justin Mullins still in the stretch. Mullins threw to second allowing Palmer to get in a rundown and stay in it long enough for Kreuter to score the third run of the inning.
The heads-up plays would prove vital as the Aggies (9-23, 2-9) would scratch another run back in the eight, but closer Calvin Faucher came in to get the final four outs and close up the Anteater win, 6-4.
The Aggies tied the game up early with a three-run fourth inning led by Logan Denholm who powered a two-run double in the gap. Denholm would come around to score the tying run on a successful squeeze play by Mason Novak evening things up at 3-3.
UCI (21-14, 5-6) built a 3-0 lead from a first-inning RBI single from Mitchell Holland. They looked to add more before an Adam Alcantara liner on a hit-and-run was snagged to start a double play. The 'Eaters would eventually tack on two more runs on consecutive run-scoring singles from Jake Hazard and Wyatt Castro in the fourth to make it 3-0.
The bullpen filled in nicely for the final five innings after Cameron Bishop lasted just four innings allowed three runs on five hits before leaving in a tie game. Miles Glazier suspended the charging Aggies for 2.1 innings giving up just two hits while striking out two to capture his second win of the season. Ben Ritchey would bridge the gap to Faucher allowing a single run over 1.1 innings.
Spencer Henderson was the unlucky loser in his longest outing of the year going 5.2 innings. He left with a pair of runners on that both came around making him responsible for five runs, four earned. The Aggie offense went through catcher Logan Denholm who produced two run-scoring doubles and accounted for three RBIs.
UCI got hits from eight starters and runs from five of them with only three of the six runs on the afternoon being batted in. Kreuter scored twice for the Anteaters, and joined Palmer and Holland slugging two hits each. Wyatt Castro had a hit, walk, run, and RBI along with two stolen bases.
The win made things a series as Sunday's rubber game awaits at 1:00 p.m. Alonzo Garcia will toe the mound looking to duplicate a masterful performance he had last week at Long Beach State.
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