IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine had the perfect sendoff for the seniors in 2016 as one of its own, Wyatt Castro, mashed a two-out hit through the right side to complete the comeback and walkoff with the 7-6 win Saturday at Anteater Ballpark.
The Anteaters (31-25, 11-13) entered the ninth inning trailing 6-5, but got a little fortune as Keston Hiura flared a ball to right field to lead things off that the right fielder could not find letting it drop for a double. Adam Alcantara tied things up with a double in the gap, his fourth hit of the game.
Senior Jonathan Munoz came up with two outs and was intentionally walked in his final at-bat at UCI bringing up substitute catcher, Griffin Mazur. He was plunked on the first pitch to set the stage for the the senior outfielder from Sacramento.
On the second pitch, he cracked a single through the hole and first and second sending home Alcantara and finishing off the victory, 7-6.
Both teams wouldn't say die on the afternoon. After a run on a two-out popup that fell between infielders gave UCI the lead in the first, CSUN (33-22, 11-13) tied things up after some fly balls fell their way in the second to make it 1-1.
The 'Eaters really got the show going with two outs in the third as Adam Alcantara skied a towering blast into the left-center gap. The outfielders converged as the ball bounded off the wall, and Alcantara never stopped hustling all the way around and under the tag for the inside-the-park-homer giving UCI the 3-1 edge.
The Matadors responded quickly with a two-out bases clearing double from Brandon Berry taking the lead, 4-3, and marking the exit for Cameron Bishop after he struck out nine hitters in four innings.
CSUN extended the lead to 5-3 before the Anteaters regrouped and put home a couple runs highlighted by a John Brontsema RBI single and a Mitchell Holland RBI double.
CSUN would not give up their lead as Bobby Schuman, who came into the game hitting .195 without a HR, launched a solo shot out to right field giving CSUN the lead back, 6-5.
UCI nearly tied things back up in the eighth after it put two guys on with two out as Brontsema flipped a single into short center. Jonathan Munoz raced around third and was met at home by the ball, crashing into Matador catcher Albee Weiss as he hung on to the ball and the lead.
Alcantara ran the offense on the afternoon reaching all five times via a double, two singles, a walk, and the inside-the-park-HR, only the second in recent history for the program. For good measure, he drove home four of the seven RBIs.
Brontsema added a three-hit day driving in a run and scored twice, and Hiura also scored twice.
Calvin Faucher got the win, his third, and third decision in the last five games after he struck out the three batters he faced. Ben Ritchey provided solid relief allowing just one earned run over 3.2 innings.
Kenny Rosenberg struck out five in his six innings of work for CSUN allowed four earned runs. Conner O'Neil incurred the loss in 2.1 innings of work.
The sun sets on the regular season for the Anteaters with a record of 31-25. At 11-13, UCI and CSUN finished tied for seventh in the conference. Head Coach Mike Gillespie earned win No. 1,101 on his career, and helped the team to a 13th consecutive 30-win season and 14th season of a .550 or better winning percentage in the last 15 years.
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