SPOKANE, Wash. --- UC Irvine baseball fought back to force extra innings where they dealt Gonzaga a seven-run 11th inning to take the series opener Saturday, 12-7, at Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field.
NECK AND NECK
The sides exchanged leads throughout the first five innings starting with UC Irvine (11-2) getting on top in the first from
Caden Kendle's two-out home run to lead 1-0.
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Gonzaga (1-11) got their scoring started in the second inning with a leadoff triple that would score on a single, and a sacrifice fly to take the brief 2-1 lead.
UCI battled back with solo runs in the fourth and fifth thanks to
Jacob Stinson's RBI groundout and
Anthony Martinez's RBI single to go ahead 3-2.
The Bulldogs punched back in their half of the fifth loading the bases against starter
David Vizcaino forces him to exit in favor of
Andre Antone with two outs. The Bulldogs frustrated Antone drawing a pair of walks to tie and then take the lead. They would add an insurance run on a wild pitch for a 5-3 lead for the hosts.
GETTING EVEN
The bullpens did their thing over the next couple innings shutting down both offenses as the game went into the eighth still at 5-3. UCI strung together some hits starting with
Abraham Garcia-Pacheco's pinch-hit single, and
Luke Spillane's sac fly would bring the 'Eaters to within 5-4.
The ninth inning began with a hit by pitch with two strikes to get the leadoff hitter on.
Caden Kendle then shot a ball to center field that the Bulldog player leapt but couldn't haul in scoring the tying run and putting Kendle on third base with nobody out.
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The Bulldog pen between Bradey Mullan and Payton Graham found a way to strand the runner and leave the bases loaded going to the bottom of the ninth knotted 5-5.
THE 11TH INNING
Graham and
Jacob King took over from there for scoreless ball in the ninth and tenth innings before the Anteater offense arose in a big way.
The top of the 11th started harmlessly enough with a strikeout. UCI would follow with eight straight baserunners started by
Anthony Martinez's infield single.
Chase Call stepped up and walloped a home run to left-center to break the tie, 7-5.
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The 'Eaters revitalized their rally with six more baserunners and RBIs from
Myles Smith,
Jo Oyama, and
Will Bermudez to finally chase Graham. A couple more runs made it a seven-run frame, tied for the biggest inning of the season for UCI.
FINAL SCORE (11 INNINGS): UC IRVINE 12, GONZAGA
The Bulldogs made some noise with a pair of runs in their half of the inning, but UCI closed it out to open the weekend with a win and their first in seven visits to Gonzaga.
"Gonzaga is good, and that was really our first come-from-behind win late," head coach
Ben Orloff said of his club. "Wheeler was great out of the pen, we score one in the eighth, one in the ninth, King gets zeroes against the best guys they have to offer, and eight straight reach in the 11th so I think that's a kind of toughest type win that we can really build off."
Wheeler and the King and the bullpen were major parts once again putting together five one-hit innings between them and King scoring the win Saturday evening.
David Vizcaino battled again through 4.2 innings allowing five runs as the starter.
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"Vizcaino threw the ball well. He's been sick lately so he gave us a tough performance. But he's a competitor, throws strikes, gave us a chance to tonight against another win against a good team and good Friday night guy for them."
The offense unloaded in their 11th inning tying the most runs in an inning this season with seven. Call overtook the team lead in home runs with five now. Kendle also added his second home run as the pair had the only multi-RBI nights. Martinez had a four-hit game to keep his average at .389. Kendle also had three hits as did
Luke Spillane as part of a season-best 18 hits Saturday. Even a first in the mix with
Auggie Gutierrez, pinch-running to start the 11th, came up later for his first career hit and RBI to cap the 12-run night.
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"I thought we played well, but down the stretch it was a do-whatever-it-takes mentality, and we got a lot of contributions from all over. Bam off the bench took a huge at-bat to start the rally in the eighth. The hit by pitch with two strikes to start the ninth were things that could get overlooked in the grand scheme of things."
FINISHING UP
The weekend ends Sunday afternoon with a 1:00 p.m. start and the series going just two games.
Nick Pinto is on the mound for the 'Eaters against Gonzaga's RHP Jacob Rutherford.
