IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball endured a four-hour, 12-inning ballgame Saturday at Anteater Ballpark dropping the contest, 8-7, to the visitors CSU Bakersfield.

TRADING BLOWS
Each offense got on the board in the first inning starting with a high, towering, two-run home run for CSU Bakersfield (18-30, 11-15) for a 2-0 lead. The Anteaters (30-22, 14-12) got a pair of runs of their own without needing any hits. After a hit by pitch and an out, Nathan Church stepped up and chopped a ball toward the mound. Roadrunner pitcher Benji Caggianelli uncorked a while throw to first base allowing a run to come home and Church to get to third base. The second run was also gifted from a wild pitch to send it to the second inning tied, 2-2.

CSUB got the lead back in the third inning with help from the Anteaters this time committing three errors to bring the run home and a 3-2 Roadrunner lead. The 'Eaters countered in the fourth inning with a two-out home run of their own off the bat of Caden Kendle wrapping it around the left field foul pole to tie things back up at 3-3.

UCI took the lead for the first time in the seventh inning with another hit by pitch starting things off. A steal of second base set up Dub Gleed for a base hit to put the Anteaters up, 4-3. Their lead grew in the eighth with four straight singles and hard singles from Kendle and Woody Hadeen up the middle to score the runs for a 6-3 advantage heading to the ninth.

THE NINTH INNING
The 'Eaters were in the driver's seat bringing in closer Troy Taylor to lock up a save, but he could not find his stuff from the night before loading the bases on a hit and two walks giving way to Jacob King to try and work through it. He got the first out on a strikeout, but the third strike skipped away allowing a run to score and move the others up and into scoring position. A single tied things back up for a third time to make it 6-6. CSUB got the bases loaded up again, but King held the line and got a strikeout to send the game to UCI's side of the ninth.

EXTRA INNINGS
Each side went down quietly in the bottom of the ninth and top of the 10th before the first threat appeared. UCI had bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th, but could not push across the game-winner.

The 11th started with controversy with an 0-2 pitch up and in to Roadrunner hitter Cody Hendriks that, after discussion between the umpires and Hendriks, was awarded first base on a hit by pitch over a foul ball. Hendriks would score later on after a sacrifice hit and an RBI single to go up 7-6 heading to the bottom of the 11th.

UCI got right to work with two singles to start off the frame and moving them to scoring position on a sacrifice hit. An intentional walk set up the force, but before anything could happen, a passed ball let in the tying run to make it 7-7. Another intentional walk opened the door for Caden Kendle, but a much-needed popout put Woody Hadeen at the dish with a chance with two outs. Hadeen scalded a ball up the middle that Roadrunner pitcher Kenny Johnson got his glove on knocking it off his hand and allowed him to collect the ball and throw Hadeen out by a step to keep the game going into the 12th inning.

FINAL SCORE (12 INNINGS): CSU BAKERSFIELD 8, UC IRVINE 7
The game was decided in the 12th inning which started with the first two Roadrunners recording an out. CSUB got a two-out single followed by three consecutive walks to force home the go-ahead and winning run to make it, 8-7.

The series is now even heading into Sunday's series finale. UCI is now 2-4 in extra-inning games this season losing the last four that have made it to the 10th. Each side finished with 11 hits and nine walks, and each side had a wild pitch that brought home a run.

The Anteater offense only drove in four of their seven runs on the game. Kendle drove the offense from the leadoff spot reaching base five times in seven plate appearances highlighted by his sixth home run of the season and drove in two. Dub Gleed had a pair of hits and regained the team lead in RBIs with one on the night. Nathan Church scored twice without a hit, meanwhile Abraham Garcia-Pacheco led the squad with three hits in the game.

Pitching started and ended with Gordon Ingebritson with another stellar bullpen appearances going 3.2 innings of shutout ball and recorded 11 outs from 10 hitters. He also struck out three to eclipse 100 for his career, and the Anteater staff of seven pitchers struck out 15 hitters as a unit.

Postgame Thoughts from head coach Ben Orloff
"We didn't play good; we didn't play deserving of a win. We kicked the ball around the first four of five innings. We weren't very competitive offensively for the majority of the game. The fact that we were in it was more of the byproduct of nine walks from the other side, made some errors, threw some wild pitches, hit some guys, and that's why we were even in the game."

"There was a lot to go through . Gordon Ingebritson coming in - 3.2 innings on 28 pitches, comes in and gets the double play with bases loaded. He was the hero tonight and the effort was wasted."

"I'd just like to see us tomorrow come out and play better. It's frustrating that we're this late in the season and we can't string together consistent, good performances. I'd like to see us on Senior Day for our last home game for a lot of these guys, come out and play well."