SAN DIEGO, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball completed the Tony Gwynn Legacy Monday night at Fowler Park with a late-inning offensive explosion to drop the host San Diego Toreros, 14-6.
KEEPING PACE
San Diego (5-1-1) made the first impression reaching on three softly-hit singles including on by Kevin Sim to score a run in the top of the first. A groundout would push across a second run for a 2-0 Torero lead after an inning.
The 'Eaters (6-1) got a run back in the second with help from three walks pushing across
Dub Gleed who singled to the start the inning. The third inning UCI would draw even as
Tony Martinez smashed a double into the gap and Gleed was there to single him in for a 2-2 ballgame.
Pitching for each side held firm the next two innings, but USD scratched across a two-out run in the fifth inning to take the lead back, 3-2.
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SIX SHOOTERS
The Anteaters stepped to the plate in the sixth inning trailing by a run, but starting with a hit by pitch of
Tony Martinez, the bats were set ablaze. Gleed followed him once again ripping a ball by the third baseman and into left field for a double.
Chase Call followed with the exact same hit as Gleed good enough to score both and give UCI its first lead, 4-3.
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The inning continued with as
Luke Spillane laid down a squeeze bunt to score a fifth run, and a
Will Bermudez RBI single,
Caden Kendle sacrifice fly, and wild pitch to put home six runs in the inning and lead 8-3.
The seventh inning began with more hit by pitches eventually loading the bases for
Luke Spillane again to shoot a single the other way and score a ninth run. A 10th run on a sacrifice fly and another hit by pitch loaded things up for Kendle who bounced a ball up the third base line. Third baseman Jack Costello stepped on the bag and threw home for get the runner, but catcher Ariel Armas didn't realize of the force play at third and didn't tag
Abraham Garcia-Pacheco as he strolled across home plate for the 11th run and keep the inning going.
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The play turned out to be big as
Tony Martinez stepped in to face Jack Hyde. The count went to 1-2 before Hyde left the mound with an injury bringing in Tristan LaMaison to finish the at-bat against Martinez. With a 3-2 count, Martinez turned around a LaMaison fastball leaving the yard to right-center and cap another six-run inning with a three-run home run, 14-3.
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FINAL SCORE: UC IRVINE 14, SAN DIEGO 6
UCI is back in the win column to go to 6-1 while handing the Toreros their first loss of 2023, now 5-1-1.
Cooper Robinson picked up the win, his second of the season, from four innings allowing a run while striking out five. The 'Eaters got
Nick Pinto back on the mound after missing the opening weekend tossing three innings as the starter which included setting down the final eight hitters he faced.
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The offense dropped its best output of the season with 14 runs. Ten different Anteaters scored a run with seven different players driving one in and seven others collecting their 11 hits. Martinez blasted a homer in his second straight game, and led all players with three runs scored and three RBIs. Gleed had the only three-hit effort of the game as he and Martinez joined Bermudez, Call, and Spillane as players to get one of each - a hit, run, and RBI - in the contest.
UCI finishes the weekend 2-1 in the Tony Gwynn Legacy and is right back to work Tuesday with a 2:00 p.m. matchup against Michigan in Anteater Ballpark.
