hunter-manning-uci-bsb-2026-sandiegostate-grandcanyon
Samantha Tran
0
Grand Canyon GCU 2-6
3
Winner UC Irvine UCI 6-2
Grand Canyon GCU
2-6
0
Final
3
UC Irvine UCI
6-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Grand Canyon GCU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1
UC Irvine UCI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 X 3 6 0

W: Rodgers, Peyton (1-0) L: McGuire, Tommy (0-1) S: Brooks, Ryder (2)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Alex Roberts-Croteau

Anteaters Prevail in Tuesday Pitchers Duel, 3-0

IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball outlasted Grand Canyon Tuesday night in Anteater Ballpark in a game dominating by pitching winning 3-0 to open the midweek series.
  • Veteran starters Finnegan Wall and Elijah Higginbottom went toe-to-toe matching each other pitch-for-pitch and out-for-out with five innings each of shutout baseball
    • Wall was the only one that got into any real trouble starting with a single and two walks to load the bases in the first inning, but he got the groundball he needed for an inning-ending double play
    • He would follow with a 1-2-3 second inning, and then GCU added baserunners in each of the next two, but Wall shut down those threats including stranding a runner in scoring position in the third and fifth
    • The offense struggled to put anything together against Higginbottom getting runners to second base on a first-inning double and again with single and sacrifice in the fifth, but nothing more. UCI nearly got the run home in the fifth if not for a spectacular diving play on a grounder by Lopes second baseman Vince Bianchina to end the inning.
  • The bullpens were next up starting in the sixth inning.
    • For UCI it was freshman Hunter Manning who gave up just a leadoff walk in the seventh while piling up four strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Peyton Rodgers relieved him in the eighth and promptly gave up two hits before exiting with the 0-0 score intact.
    • Grand Canyon relied on Tommy McGuire who gave up a single in his first two innings
  • The eighth inning finally brought some signs of life for the offenses
    • UCI began the bottom of the eighth with a hit by pitch before a likely double play ball was kicked by the GCU shortstop to put things in motion
    • After an out, Zach Fjelstad ripped a single the other way to plate Efren Ortega and break the scoreless tie, 1-0
    • After a single to load the bases, Alonso Reyes battled back to work a walk forcing another run home
    • Rowan Felsch came up next and went down on strikes, but somehow UCI found a way to score a run after Zach Fjelstad forgot how many outs there were and caught off third base. He stayed in a rundown long enough to take advantage of no one covering home for the Lopes to score a third run in the inning on a triple steal
  • Ryder Brooks was called upon to seal the victory and did so after a leadoff single was left on base to earn his second save in a 3-0 victory.
UC Irvine 3, Grand Canyon 0
  • Zach Fjelstad emerged the offensive hero for UCI with three of the six hits, an RBI that went down as the game-winner, a run, and a stolen base
  • Finnegan Wall scattered seven baserunners in five innings with four hits and six strikeouts.
    • Rodgers picked up the win for his first as an Anteater
  • The shutout is already the second of the season through eight games for the Anteaters.
  • UC Irvine improves in the all-time series vs. GCU to 5-2 including the third shutout victory
The midweek clash continues on Wednesday with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch. Jack Ross takes the mound against Cody Kiemele for the Lopes.
 


 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
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