Offense Scuffles as Series Evens in 4-1 Loss
May 07, 2016 | Baseball
IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine and UCLA continued its series Saturday this time in Anteater Ballpark, and Bruin starter Grant Dyer stole the show pitching a complete game, four-hitter in dropping the 'Eaters to the tone of 4-1.
Dyer tossed 123 pitches to collect his second complete game of the season limiting the Anteaters to four hits and one run.
The run came in the fifth inning after Grant Palmer led off with a double, was sacrificed to third, and scored on a sharp grounder to shortstop from Parker Coss which, at the time, chopped UCLA's lead to 2-1.
The Bruins got to Cameron Bishop early with a pair of two-out hits in the second to jump ahead, 1-0, and stretched it to 2-0 off a squeeze laid down by Daniel Rosica in the fourth.
Each pitcher walked the tightrope on multiple occasions, but refused to break. Bishop ventured into the seventh throwing a career-high 114 pitches before giving way to the bullpen. He allowed the two earned runs on five hits while walking four and punching out six, but took on his fourth loss of the season.
The pen was serviceable until the ninth when Jordan Bocko gave up a pair of Bruin runs. Both were nearly an afterthought as Palmer unleashed a strong throw on a single through the left side that was right on the money, but Rosica slid in safe a split-second ahead of the tag. Eric Filia's double that followed plated Brett Urabe to grow the UCLA (22-22) lead to 4-1.
UCI (26-18, 7-8) could not find any answer for Dyer, and were retired in order in the ninth to finish the game, a 4-1 loss.
Urabe and Filia finished with two hits of the Bruins, and each drove home a run along with Rosica and Trent Chatterton. Palmer had the only two-hit day for the 'Eaters which included a double as part of three doubles the Anteaters scrounged out from their four hits. Parker Coss provided the RBI.
The 1,002 fans in attendance saw as the series is evened heading into the finale on Sunday as it heads back to Jackie Robinson Stadium Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
