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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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"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.
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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.
