FRESNO, Calif. --- The Anteaters were on their way to a Sunday and series win before a Fresno State rally ruined all that in a 12-10 final from Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium Sunday afternoon.
Getting the Hole-Shot
UC Irvine (1-2) rode the wave from last night's late-game offense into the beginning of Sunday with runs in each of the first three innings.
A pair of defensive miscues helped bring
Jake Palmer and
Nathan Church around in the first on a
Riley Kasper single and
Andre Antone fielder's choice for a 2-0 UCI lead
The lead jumped to 5-0 after a Palmer RBI groundout and Church was back blasting his first career home run to left field.
Fresno State (2-1) cut into the deficit with a three-run HR in their half of the second, but the 'Eaters countered with four in the third off a
Jake Cosgrove bunt,
Connor McGuire double, Palmer groundout, and Church single putting the 'Eaters up 9-3.
Playing in the Valley
The middle innings were filled with pitching and a score stuck at 9-4. Neither team put a run across from the fourth to the seventh inning stretch led by Anteater senior
Dylan Riddle allowing a hit and a walk over 3.1 innings to put UCI on its way.
The Comeback
The Bulldogs woke up in the bottom of the seventh greeting UCI reliever
Josh Ibarra rudely by loading the bases. Ibarra nearly escaped, but Zach Morgan pushing a single into the gap with two outs to score a pair and draw the score to 9-6 in favor of UCI.
The 'Eaters used a walk and a wild pitch to help move across a 10th run in their half of the eighth to game back some momentum and lead 10-6.
Fresno State found the gas pedal in their half jumping all over
Gordon Ingebritson with a run-scoring single and then a two-run HR driving him out of the game without recording an out in the eighth and clinging to a 10-9 lead.
John Vergara was summoned after masterful performance the night before, but he was unable to reproduce the magic allowing another Bulldog home run to Zach Presno, his third of the weekend, to put Fresno State back on top for good.
Final Score: Fresno State 12, UC Irvine 10
The offensive stars of the day were
Nathan Church going 3-for-5 with a HR, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored in addition to a three-hit day from
Andre Antone, two hits and two RBI by Palmer, and two hits and two runs by McGuire making his first career start
Anteater starter
Cole van den Helder also made his UCI debut faring well until the home run in the second being lifted at 2.2 innings. Riddle did all the heavy lifting, but was unable to inspire the bullpen that gave up eight runs altogether.
Jacob King made his collegiate debut in relief of Vergara allowing a hit and a walk, but striking out two to limit the damage.
What Else Happened
The loss stings for the 'Eaters who still have just one series win vs. Fresno State all-time in 14 meetings and run their all-time record to 11-36 against them and 6-25 in Fresno
Firsts for Anteaters came in the form of
Nathan Church's first career HR,
Connor McGuire's first career start, hit, run, and RBI, and first appearances for
Cole van den Helder and
Jacob King each posting their first career strikeouts.
Next Week
UC Irvine finishes their brief road trip to start the season on Tuesday night when it heads to San Diego to play the Toreros, February 18, with a 6:00 p.m. start. The 'Eaters then head home for the first of four at home starting with Rice Friday night, February 21, at 6:00 p.m.
