SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball started slow only to score 10 of the final 11 runs behind timely hitting and an outpouring of defensive gems to drop Cal Poly in the series opener, 11-6, at Baggett Stadium Friday night.

SOUR START
Both sides danced around giving up the first runs with the 'Eaters (20-10, 14-3) getting the leadoff hitter on before getting doubled up.

Cal Poly (16-13, 6-7) posed their own threat getting a pair of runners on in each of the first two innings from hit by pitch in the first and walks in the second. Starter Trenton Denholm found a way through both jams without allowing runs to keep the game scoreless.

UCI finally found the opening run on a two-out knock from Nathan Church for a 1-0 lead. The Mustangs responded with force starting their third with four straight hits and getting all four across home plate to take a 4-1 lead.

RETURNING FIRE
The Anteater offense was not going to let a 5-1 deficit deter them, and made its move starting in the fifth inning. UCI loaded the bases with one out from a pair of walks and a double with Church looming once. He singled to right field to bring the first two runners in, and Mike Peabody followed with a two-run double to quickly knot the game at 5-5.

Cal Poly regained the lead with a pair of two-out hits in their half for the 6-5 lead, but Dillon Tatum answered right back homering to start the sixth, for his sixth of the year, to make the score 6-6.

The Anteaters would erase the deficit completely in the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly from Luke Spillane and never look back.

DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH
The Anteater defense saved the game on multiple occasions starting in the very first inning on Luke Spillane's diving catch with two runners on to keep Cal Poly off the board early.

Jake Cosgrove stepped up on multiple plays making a diving stop early to quash a Mustang rally. He was there again to start a double play.

Adrian Damla was out of the starting lineup for the first time this season, but came on defensively late and made multiple key defensive plays to preserve the slim margin.

FINAL SCORE: UC IRVINE 11, CAL POLY 6
The win keeps the 'Eaters in a one-game lead in the Big West at 14-3. Church led the offensive charge with three hits, three RBIs, and a pair of runs scored extending his streaks to 19 straight games with a hit and 18 with a run.

Jake Palmer was in the starting lineup for the first time since March 7 scoring three times with a pair of hits. Peabody doubled twice driving home three runs. Tatum drove in two along with the home run, and Luke Spillane had two RBIs without a hit to remain tied for the team lead on the season with 28.

Neither starter lasted very long in the game. Trenton Denholm faced one batter in the fourth inning as he allowed the Mustangs' first five runs striking out three. CP's Drew Thorpe also allowed five runs, four earned, walking three in 4.1 innings.

The Anteater bullpen made the most of its six innings of work allowing just one run and without a strikeout. Tanner Brooks scored the win, his second of the season, and Jacob King assumed the team lead in saves with his third in two scoreless frames.

Thoughts from Head Coach Ben Orloff
"I feel like that was a real complete win for us. We dug ourselves in an early hole, but this team just keeps playing. The relief pitching really gave us a chance to come back and win this. Our defense was incredible today, and obviously a bunch of big hits strung together. That was a complete win and as tough as a win we've had all year."


"I went over a bunch of plays with the team and I'll probably miss some - Spillane makes the diving catch early in the game, Cosgrove diving up the middle, Connor makes a play going to his left, 360 and throws the guy out, Taishi makes a great play running far into foul ground backhand, Damla made a good play on a cued ball to start the eighth inning, and then makes a good play on a bad ball in the dirt by Brooks on a PFP and makes a good play in foul territory down the right field line, Spillane makes a nice play in the ninth running in far to catch the ball similar to the ball we didn't catch at Northridge, turned a 4-6-3 double play. All of it helps the pitching and keeps us in the game."


"It's good that we got Palmer healthy finally, and we just wanted to maximize the most offense in the lineup. Castro has taken balls at first base last year and more this year, so just a move to get the most offense in the lineup. And it just always feels good to write Palmer's name into the lineup again."

DOUBLEHEADER SATURDAY
The series continues Saturday with two games starting at 1:00 p.m. Lefties Nick Pinto and Andrew Alvarez match up in the first game with the second game a battle between Michael Frias and Cal Poly's Travis Weston.