UC Irvine Rides Early Offense in 9-6 Saturday Win

Saturday, March 1

Irvine, Calif.

1:00 PM

UC Irvine

7-3

Louisiana

5-6

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Louisiana	0	0	0	0	1	3	1	1	0	6	8	1
UC Irvine	5	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	X	9	13	2

Photo by: Matt Brown

UC Irvine Rides Early Offense in 9-6 Saturday Win

March 01, 2025 | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Alex Roberts-Croteau

IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball shot out to a big early lead that nearly disintegrated before locking in the 9-6 win Saturday at Anteater Ballpark over Louisiana.

UCI started things off with a five-run first inning against Louisiana starter Blake McGehee
- Colin Yeaman doubled into the gap with one out to spark the bats coming around on Anthony Martinez's single
- Jacob McCombs followed with an opposite-field double to make it a 2-0 ballgame, and a Rowan Felsch sacrifice fly made it 3-0
- With McCombs on third, a balk was called to bring him across and make it 4-0 UCI. UL head coach Matt Deggs argued in response and was ejected from the ballgame
- Zach Fjelstad reignited the rally with a triple on the very next pitch and scoring the fifth run on a Zach Crandall single
The 'Eaters lead grew to 7-0 with a bases loaded hit by pitch in the second and a Felsch RBI single in the fourth
The Ragin' Cajuns jumped back into the game in a big way:
- UL got on the board in the fifth with an unearned run scoring on a squeeze play
- The bats came alive in the sixth with three solo home runs including back-to-back shots to finally knock out UCI starter, Jack Ross, with a 7-4 lead
The teams continued to trade single runs:
- Zach Crandall made Landon Gaz's two-out walk stand up with an opposite-field double to plate him
- The Cajuns followed crushing their fourth home run of the game in the seventh to get the run back, 8-5, and another from Conor Riggs, his second of the game, in the eighth to make it a two-run game
- Zach Fjelstad got UCI on the home run board smashing his second home run in the last three games out to center field and make it 9-6.
Max Martin closed things down in the ninth for his second save of the series striking out a pair in a 1-2-3 frame for the final.
Ross picked up his second win of the year in 5.2 innings striking out six in the process
Crandall led the offensive charge with three of the team's 13 hits. He added two RBIs leading the team along with Felsch
- Every Anteater starter reached base at least two times with Fjelstad, McCombs, and Chase Call each scoring twice

UC Irvine locks up the series winning at least twice in every weekend to start the year. Sunday at 1:00 p.m. the 'Eaters will work to sweep the series with Trevor Hansen on the bump against a Ragin' Cajun pitcher to be named.