Defense Costs 'Eaters in Walkoff Loss, 6-5

Saturday, March 6

Riverside, CA

6:00 PM

UC Irvine

4-3

UC Riverside

1-0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UC Irvine	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	6	2
UC Riverside	0	0	4	0	0	1	0	0	1	6	10	1

nathan-church-uci-bsb-2021-washington-2-20-uc-riverside

Defense Costs 'Eaters in Walkoff Loss, 6-5

March 06, 2021 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Alex Croteau

RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball fell, 6-5, Saturday night in the series opener at Riverside Sports Complex as UC Riverside took advantage of errors to squeak out a walk-off victory.

UC RIVERSIDE'S THIRD INNING
Both sides flew through the opening frames with little offense. UC Riverside (1-0) got on the board first with a two-out rally started by a Travis Bohall single. He came around to score after stealing second and being driven in on Cole Pofek's single. The inning looked to end on a dropped third strike, but Jacob Castro's errant throw allow both baserunners to come home. The Highlanders tacked on a third unearned run on another single from Nathan Webb to complete the third inning ahead, 4-0.

THE ANTEATERS RESPOND
UC Irvine (4-3) quickly answered in the next half inning with a double and two hit batsmen to load the bases with one out. Luke Spillane chopped an infield single to score the first run. Jacob Castro atoned for his error by bringing in two runs on a double of his own to cut the deficit to 4-3. After another hit by pitch loaded the bases, the Highlanders allowed a passed ball to tie the game, and then Taishi Nakawake's groundout allowed the fifth run to come home and flip a four-run hole into a 5-4 lead for UCI heading into the bottom of the fourth.

MORE UNEARNED RUNS
The Highlanders looked to tie after Nathan Webb led off the sixth inning with a double. A ground ball by Taylor Juline was knocked down by Woody Hadeen at second base, but his wild throw allowed another run to come home and tie things at 5-5. After a sacrifice bunt put a runner on third with just one out, the 'Eaters went to the bullpen and Michael Frias to keep things level which he did inducing a foulout and groundout.

THE DECISIVE BLOW
The Highlanders were gifted a baserunner to start the ninth as Jacob King issued the only walk from either pitching staff in the game to Anthony Mata. After a sacrifice bunt, King was lifted for Josh Ibarra whose first pitch was flipped into right field by his former junior college teammate Ely Stuart to end the game on a walkoff win for UC Riverside, 6-5.

FINAL: UC RIVERSIDE 6, UC IRVINE 5
For the Highlanders, Saturday was their season opener under interim head coach Justin Johnson for his first collegiate head coaching victory. The loss was the third for UC Irvine, second via a walkoff, and the squad has yet to win a game away from home.

Trenton Denholm had his best outing of 2021 going 5.1 innings allowing five runs, but just one was earned. He also struck out eight Highlanders. Michael Frias continued his dominant bullpen work allowing a single baserunners on a hit by pitch that he later picked off and adding two strikeouts to his 2.2 innings of work. Jacob King took the loss, now 1-1.

The offensive bright spot was Luke Spillane who had two hits, a run, an RBI, and a stolen base. Castro added two RBIs, and Nakawake had the fourth while three other 'Eaters scored a run. Woody Hadeen made his first collegiate start batting second and playing second base.

The 10 hits by UCR was the most allowed by Anteater pitching in 2021. Six different Highlanders scored runs and three had two-hit games.

Thoughts from Head Coach Ben Orloff

"We have to stay away from the big inning. Anybody can look at the box score and see that we got walked-off on and lost in the bottom of the 9th, but you give up 4 in the third, and that's a big difference in the game."

"We were not good at all offensively. We got 5 in the fourth and that was a good answer, but a lot of that was self-inflicted. We've got to get it going, take better at-bats, guys that are in there have to hit better, and we've got to find other guys to put in there and get us hits."

"Trenton was better. It's good to see him healthy and out there longer. He threw the ball well in spurts. They got some hits and took good at-bats in spurts, too. It's good to see him healthy and continue to get stretched out."

TWO TOMORROW
With Friday's postponement, the series will finish up Sunday with a doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m. Peter Van Loon will throw for the 'Eaters in the first game, and Nick Pinto will take the mound in game two that will begin 40 minutes after the completion of game one.