Anteaters Score 9-2 Win at UC Davis for Road Sweep

Sunday, May 21

Davis, Calif.

1:00 PM

UC Irvine

35-17, 0

UC Davis

17-34, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UC Irvine	1	0	2	1	0	2	1	1	1	9	8	2
UC Davis	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	7	2

thomas-mccaffrey-uci-bsb-2023-hawaii-uc-davis

Photo by: Robert Huskey

Anteaters Score 9-2 Win at UC Davis for Road Sweep

May 21, 2023 | Baseball

Box Score

By: Alex Roberts-Croteau

DAVIS, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball picked up the pivotal weekend road sweep at UC Davis and Dobbins Stadium Sunday afternoon by the score of 9-2 for win No. 20 away from home and bumping them to fifth in the Big West.

Once again, the 'Eaters (35-17, 16-11) picked up a first inning run. Jo Oyama clubbed a triple into the alley to lead things off but was still on third with two outs before Dub Gleed chopped up a ball up the line that UCD third baseman mishandled allowing the 'Eaters to go up, 1-0.

First pitch is in to Jo and it's a ROCKET triple!! #TWZ pic.twitter.com/t11hBu7jf7
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) May 21, 2023

Andre Antone got the Sunday start and set the tone right with three up, three down in the first. Aside from a hit by pitch in the third, Antone was nearly spotless with a pair of strikeouts and got some help from the defense behind him for a three shutout frames and the win, his fifth of 2023.

Andre bringing the heat ?? #EatersGottaEat pic.twitter.com/bPdUcPuEbt
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) May 21, 2023

Defense came to play, too! #ZotZot pic.twitter.com/dtxwPN34IL
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) May 21, 2023

Antone does his thing - 3 hitless IP, just a HBP, and 2 Ks

Finnegan Wall on for the 4th leading 4-0 #RipEm pic.twitter.com/mFYlXFscqq
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) May 21, 2023

"Antone was huge, we needed somebody just to get the game stabilized from the beginning because we had enough guys. He got us off to a good start and just what we needed."

Head Coach Ben Orloff and his staff were set up for this Sunday and rode their horses allowing just two runs, one earned in nine innings. Northern California natives Cooper Robinson and Jacob King locked down the final three innings together with five strikeouts in three scoreless frames. Tanner Brooks made his first appearance of the weekend bridging the gap to them for two innings.

Tanner avoids any trouble with a big K to strand 2 #EatersGottaEat pic.twitter.com/FxggOjpKWg
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) May 21, 2023

Cooper finishes his day with his 2nd K

2 on 1 out Bot 8th as King comes in leading 8-2 #EatersGottaEat pic.twitter.com/lYiRQ7Npx9
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) May 21, 2023

The offense kept adding on with runs in seven different innings. Six of UCI's runs came with two outs, and the Anteaters used their usual gritty style needing just eight hits along with seven walks, six hit by pitch, twice reaching on errors, and five sacrifices.

"We didn't get the big inning, but a lot of walks, stolen bases, sacrifices, we did a good amount of that stuff for sure along with scoring in seven innings."

The offense was spread around with every hitter collecting a run or RBI. Thomas McCaffrey drove in runs three times adding up to the only two-RBI day for UCI. Anthony Martinez was held to one hit, but scored three times and reached two other times. Jo Oyama at the top and Will Bermudez at the bottom of the order had a hit, RBI, and run each including two sac bunts from Oyama and two hit by pitch for Bermudez for a Big West-leading 20 now.

Will barreling home to make it 2-0 #RipEm pic.twitter.com/xhilkixAcx
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) May 21, 2023

Just a casual 2-out RBI infield single #RipEm pic.twitter.com/hnysCrZLlz
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) May 21, 2023

Luke on the move!! #ZotZot pic.twitter.com/cJDsDCNhTP
— UCI Baseball (@UCIbsb) May 21, 2023

"Defense and pitching travels. When you do those thing sand enough on offense, that will help you win on the road. We needed a sweep here, it's hard to win and score runs, and to come up and get three, it's impressive."

The 'Eaters got the critical sweep they needed to stay in postseason contention. At 35-17, the team has got there largely from their 19-6 mark in road games and 20-7 away from home.

UC Irvine also improves to 16-11 in Big West play putting them squarely in fifth place. The regular season ends at Anteater Ballpark next week with the opener Thursday, May 25, vs. UC Riverside to begin a three-game set.