ryan-kysar-uci-bsb-2025-usc
Matt Brown
5
Winner USC USC 4-0
2
UC Irvine UCI 2-2
Winner
USC USC
4-0
5
Final
2
UC Irvine UCI
2-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
USC USC 1 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 5 4 1
UC Irvine UCI 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 0

W: Govel, Grant (1-0) L: Brooks, Ryder (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Alex Roberts-Croteau

No. 21 'Eaters Drop Tuesday Game to USC

IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball fell in its home opener Tuesday night in Anteater Ballpark by a score of 5-2 to USC.
  • Finnegan Wall returned to the mound after missing the 2024 season with Tommy John surgery. He settled in after a walk, bloop single, and wild pitch allowed a first-inning run to retire the last five hitters he faced including striking out the side in the second inning for three of his four strikeouts on the night.
  • The bats picked him up in the bottom of the first tying things up on a Chase Call double play ball, 1-1
  • UCI struggled to capitalize on opportunities leaving the bases loaded in the first and third innings to keep it a 1-1 ballgame
  • Colin Yeaman broke the tie in the fourth inning sitting back on a two-strike breaking pitch and doubling it off the left field wall to score Rowan Felsch for a 2-1 Anteater lead
  • Both offenses stayed in neutral until the sixth inning when the Trojans were handed a bases-loaded opportunity and did not let it go
    • Ryder Brooks came in to start the inning and struck out one hitter, but loaded the bases before being lifted for David Utagawa
    • On the first pitch of Utagawa's evening, Trojan Ethan Hedges hit it out for a grand slam to swing the lead back to USC, 5-2.
  • The Anteaters offense was unable to respond as USC's freshman arm Grant Govel took over tossing five hitless innings of relief to earn the win and close it out, 5-2.
  • Along with Wall, UC Irvine's pitching had bright spots
    • Ryan Kysar made his Anteater debut following Wall and tossed three scoreless innings with two strikeouts
    • David Butler came on after Utagawa and retired all five hitters he went against striking out a pair
    • Brandon Luu made his season debut throwing a 1-2-3 ninth inning
  • UCI out-hit USC, 5-4, with two-hit games for Yeaman and James Castagnola. Rowan Felsch made his Division I debut reached twice on walks and scoring a run
  • The 'Eaters did draw 1,239 fans Tuesday night, second-largest crowd for a home opener behind only the return to baseball in 2002
UC Irvine heads toward the weekend with a 2-2 record as they travel to Texas Tech to play the Red Raiders starting Friday, February 21
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
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