IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball busted out the bats for a big start to the afternoon Saturday at Anteater Ballpark to even up the series with UC San Diego and win 11-5.
Anteater starter
David Vizcaino set the tone with a stellar first inning after loading the bases up against the first three hitters he faced. He came back to induce an infield fly and get a double play behind him to leave the Tritons (17-7, 7-1) off the board.
UCI (15-8, 3-5) took advantage and got their hitting shoes on in their half of the first plating five runs. The big blow came off the bat of
Jacob Stinson lacing a shot into the right-center gap to score all three runners and cap the five-run frame.
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The 'Eaters picked up where they left off in the second inning with four more runs.
Anthony Martinez knocked in his second RBI in as many innings, and then with two outs
Abraham Garcia-Pacheco launched a double by the left field to score two more and he would come around on Stinson's fourth RBI. Another two runs in the third inning on a fielder's choice and wild pitch built an 11-0 UCI lead after just three innings.
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Vizcaino continued to cruise pitching into the seventh inning with a shutout and limiting UCSD to five hits before being lifted. The Tritons made some noise in the seventh with a grand slam off the UCI bullpen to ruin Vizcaino's quality start and make it an 11-5 ballgame.
Finnegan Wall was able to calm things meanwhile the bats put a couple more across adding their Big West-leading 22nd sacrifice fly and two stolen bases from
Luke Spillane manufacturing the final run of the 13-5 victory.
Vizcaino returned to form to pick up his third win of the season with four strikeouts and help even the weekend series. The loss is the first for the Tritons in Big West play this season, now 7-1, and breaks up their 12-game winning streak that was second-longest in the nation entering the afternoon.
"Trusting the guys behind me again," Vizcaino noted of finding his game again on Saturday. "It's difficult when things aren't going well for you and you're struggling in the zone you know, getting in the zone and letting your guys work behind you made it a lot easier today."
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Offensive stars were many led by four-hit days for Martinez and Stinson. Martinez scored three times and drove in three while Stinson put up three doubles and drove in four. Other notable days came from
Caden Kendle with two hits and three runs, two RBIs each from Garcia-Pacheco and
Myles Smith, and
Chase Call continued to find a way scoring twice with three walks to extend his Big West lead with a total of 27 and now a free pass in 16 consecutive.
"These guys aren't gonna give up. We aren't gonna give up by any means," praised Stinson on the full team offensive effort on the day. "We've just got to keep stringing good at-bats together, keep leaning on each other. Keep playing for each other, pick each other up when when someone doesn't execute or get a hit. Just got to come together as a team and really try to go all together."
The team looks to make that push into Sunday as the series wraps up with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch with both starting pitchers yet to be determined.
