IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball packed a punch for a second straight night on the mound and at the dish to notch a 9-1 win Friday night at Anteater Ballpark over UC Riverside (11-40, 5-24).
Nick Pinto flirted with perfection for a second straight start at Cicerone Field retiring the first 15 batters he faced. The lefty was coming of a home start two weeks ago in which he retired the first 17 batters, but like that last outing, a sixth-inning base hit took away his perfect game and no-hitter. Pinto punched right back for a double play ball to go through six facing the minimum.
Pinto went back out of the ninth inning with a one-hitter under his belt looking to go the distance, but a single, error, hit by pitch, and an RBI single would take that apart in addition to the shutout. A final strikeout looking, his eighth of the evening, was his final mark on an 8.1-inning performance with just 89 pitches for the fourth-year starter.
Cameron Wheeler would pick him up inducing a double play to close the game out right there for a 9-1 win.
"Pinto was really good, had all three pitches working, was down with the fastball, he threw the ball really well," commended head coach
Ben Orloff.
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All while Pinto was twirling a gem, the Anteater bats were once again etching some history. Right out of the gate, the very first hitter for UCI (37-17, 18-11) left the yard as
Jo Oyama put a ball over the 408-foot-sign in dead center field for a 1-0 lead.
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The Anteater bats would continue to mash as
Chase Call would follow with a three-run home run in the second,
Caden Kendle would leave the yard in the fourth with a two-run jack, and
Thomas McCaffrey started the fifth inning off with a solo homer for four home runs on the night tying a program record for long balls in a home game. The only other time the 'Eaters have done so was back in 2010 in the first game of a doubleheader against Saint Mary's.
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UCI didn't need another 28-run onslaught as the 'Eaters got seven of their nine runs from home runs. Oyama finished with a three-hit game and added a second RBI on a single in the fourth.
Chase Call reached all four times from the home run, a HBP, and twice by catcher's interference.
Will Bermudez hit the team's 51st sac fly of the season, the national lead, to bring home the ninth and final run.
A pair of unnoticed milestones hit on the evening were walks and strikeouts. UCI walked five times on the night, and in the sixth inning,
Thomas McCaffrey drew a walk, No. 295 on the season which eclipsed a team mark of 294 set in the 1990 season. Sneaking in was another Anteater milestone - the 'Eater bats did not strikeout the entire game, a first under coach Orloff's tutelage.
"That's crazy, I wasn't even aware of that until now. Another really good offensive performance against tonight. Four home runs early, how we managed the strike zone all weekend, even when the scores get a little lopsided; the discipline to stay within the strike zone and earn the walk and limit strikeouts."
The big shots were more than enough to set up Pinto and the defense to carve out the win in just two hours and one minute; another vital win for the 'Eaters who were officially eliminated from the Big West automatic qualifier race and will now lean on their resume to try and land an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. Still one important game to go on Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch and
Andre Antone to take the mound.
"We all know these games are important. We just need to keep playing to our standard and keep it going, keep playing the game. It's all important."
Prior to the game, UC Irvine will celebrate its seniors with a ceremony on the field -
Cameron Wheeler,
Jacob King,
Sean Higgins,
Nick Pinto.
Michael Stanford,
Tanner Brooks,
Nick Rincover, and
Luke Spillane.
