IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball got the bats out trouncing San Diego, 17-7, Tuesday night in Anteater Ballpark for the team's first midweek win of the year.

Back to Brandon
The 'Eaters (16-4) got the first two runners on base to start the game and Brandon Lewis stepped to the box. The junior pelted a ball out to left field for his 10th home run of the season and quickly had the Anteaters up, 3-0.

Deluge of Scoring
UCI would allow a run to San Diego (17-8, 3-3) in the top of the second, but the Anteaters had the answer starting the second off with a John Jensen triple. He came home on Mikey Filia's single off the glove of the third baseman. The 'Eaters got single runs home on a bases loaded walk to Mike Peabody and Brendan Brooks' sharp single to center. USD resorted to its fourth pitcher of the day already, and Jacob Castro jumped all over him for a bases-clearing double to cap a six-run frame and put the 'Eaters up big, 9-1.

Torero Tactics
USD wouldn't go away that easily cutting the eight-run deficit right in half in the third thanks to a pair of doubles, a perfectly placed single, and then a high hard shot from Ripken Reyes for a home run to suddenly make it a 9-5 Anteater lead.

Piling On
The 'Eaters put the game out of reach in the fourth inning all started by Christian Koss. With two outs and runners on the corners, the shortstop chopped a ball to his counterpart at short and beat it out for the infield single scoring Brendan Brooks. From there, the Anteaters pounced first on a double down the right field line from Jensen to plate two. Filia matched him with a double down the left field line for two runs of his own completing the five-run inning and stretching UCI's lead to 14-5

Final Score: No. 19 UC Irvine 17, San Diego 7
The offense clicked with all nine Anteaters scoring a run, and eight 'Eaters either had a hit or an RBI with seven of them getting all three. Mikey Filia's night stood out with four htis, four RBIs, a double, and three runs scored to go with five times on base. Castro and Lewis each drove in three. Palmer scored three times while reaching base four times. Jensen busted out of a slump with a double, triple, two runs, and two RBIs as the Anteaters matched their season high in runs. Ripken Reyes was the Torero bright spot going 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs, and two RBIs

Pitchers of Record
Ryan Johnston got his first start on the bump and worked well for 2.1 innings allowing three runs without a walk and two strikeouts. Six Anteater pitchers combined to strikeout 10 including three from Michael Frias over two innings allowing a single run on top of scoreless frames from Kaz Akamatsu and Darius Garcia. USD used 23 players overall and eight pitchers, seven of which allowed a run. Jack Dolak also made his first career start allowing all five hitters he faced to reach picking up the loss to go 2-2. The teams combined for 366 pitches, 197 by the Toreros, noted by the final reliever, Jeff Houghtby, who started at SS and finished with his first career mound appearance

Next Up
The Anteaters take their 11-1 mark in March to the island of O'ahu on Hawai'i to battle with the Rainbow Warriors in the first weekend of Big West Conference action, March 29-31. All three games will be on KUCI 88.9 FM with Friday and Saturday night viewable online via Spectrum Sports Hawai'i. The first two games of the series air at 9:35 p.m. Pacific Time with the finale coming down at 4:05 p.m. Pacific Time