Anteaters Put Up 14-2 Win at San Diego State

Tuesday, April 25

San Diego, Calif.

6:00 PM

UC Irvine

24-13

San Diego State

16-21

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UC Irvine	0	3	3	4	3	0	0	1	0	14	13	0
San Diego State	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	5	0

myles-smith-uci-bsb-2023-tulane-san-diego-state

Photo by: Robert Huskey

Anteaters Put Up 14-2 Win at San Diego State

April 25, 2023 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Alex Roberts-Croteau

SAN DIEGO, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball could do no wrong Tuesday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium with a complete victory over the host Aztecs, 14-2.

The offense got started early loading the bases in the second inning from a pair of walks and bloop single. Auggie Gutierrez getting the start in the nine-hole would wear a pitch in his back to force home the first run and lead, 1-0. Jo Oyama pelted a ball off the right field wall that would only bring around one run to increase the lead to 2-0, but another hit by pitch of Caden Kendle forced another run home for a 3-0 lead for the 'Eaters (24-13, 7-8).

Auggie takes it!! RBI on the HBP makes it 1-0 #EatersGottaEat pic.twitter.com/G6s5Jq5c9x
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) April 26, 2023

The very next inning, UCI would put two more runners on from two more walks, and Luke Spillane did all the damage himself driving a ball up and out to left center for a three-run home run to double the lead to 6-0.

Luke with the 3-run homer!! #EatersGottaEat pic.twitter.com/uQeuUCYFNw
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) April 26, 2023

The bats did one better in the fourth inning starting with Abraham Garcia-Pacheco who was left out of all the scoring the previous two innings connecting on a ball into the right-center gap and off the diving glove of the outfielder to clear the bases driving in three with a double. UCI would load the bases once again and add the fourth run of the inning as Oyama legged out an infield single with two outs to make it 10-1 Anteaters in the fourth.

Bam comes up huge!! #EatersGottaEat pic.twitter.com/GQ5fy8XQAS
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) April 26, 2023

A fourth straight inning of three-plus runs came in the fifth with Garcia-Pacheco getting it started with a sacrifice fly to make it 11-0, and the next batter Myles Smith hammered a shot to right-center catching some of the scoreboard on it's way out to make it a 13-1 ballgame.

MUNCH A BUNCH!! First of the year makes it 13-1 from Myles!! #EatersGottaEat pic.twitter.com/g0fjLX5PXv
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) April 26, 2023

"Felt pretty good," said a relieved Smith who ended the night reaching base in all six plate appearances. "I know I had been reeling a little bit, but I just went up there and said whatever happens, happens; go swing the bat and you're good. That's what I did tonight and it all worked out; pretty fun."

The fun times were not limited to the offense as the pitching held up it's end allowing two runs between six pitchers and not issuing a walk until the ninth inning. David Vizcaino set the tone with five innings as the starter allowing one run to collect his team-high fifth win. Nick Rincover, Cooper Robinson, and Max Martin each had a scoreless inning of their own to bridge the gap to the ninth with each posting a strikeout. Michael Pirrello even added his first career strikeout in the ninth, and Elliot Joslin picked him up stranding the bases loaded with one pitch to close out the 14-2 win.

Vizcaino nails the K to end the 4th #EatersGottaEat pic.twitter.com/I2TS2NF9h0
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) April 26, 2023

Nick finishes his 1-2-3 inning with a K #EatersGottaEat pic.twitter.com/YOYHxwnJaW
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) April 26, 2023

Cooper brings it with 2 Ks in his 7th #RipEm pic.twitter.com/UbJ7CYXHCx
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) April 26, 2023

Max with a devastating K to end the 8th #RipEm pic.twitter.com/furHgF7jEX
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) April 26, 2023

Michael Pirrello earns his first collegiate K in the 9th! #EatersGottaEat pic.twitter.com/Tn8qL6U4Ra
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) April 26, 2023

UCI improves to 7-1 in midweek matchups this year and now sit at 17-5 in non-conference games.

"At this point, we know every win is important," four-year vet Luke Spillane added of the complete victory Tuesday night. "We can't throw anything away in every game now so we came out with a high level of focus; we pitched well, hit well, played really good defense."

Spillane continued his recent surge with hits now in six of his last seven including eight RBI in those games and his first home run of 2023 tonight. One of the many offense heroes in the game led by Smith and his first home run of the year as well as part of two hits, three walks, a hit by pitch, two RBI, and three runs scored. Anthony Martinez had his third 4-hit game of the season adding an RBI and two runs, a three-hit game from Oyama with two RBIs and a run, and four RBIs for Garcia-Pacheco to lead all players.

UCI improves to 10-5 in the month of April with one final series on the horizon at CSU Bakersfield with the 'Eaters entering with a 12-5 record away from home this year.