LAS VEGAS, Nev. --- UC Irvine baseball improved to 2-0 in the Live Like Lou Las Vegas College Baseball Classic at Las Vegas Ballpark with a massive eighth-inning rally to down the previously undefeated Oregon Ducks, 8-6, Saturday afternoon.
- The Anteaters drew first blood this game getting a pair on from singles in the first inning and scoring one on an Auggie Gutierrez sacrifice fly, 1-0
- Oregon leveled things in the second inning on a groundout to make it 1-1
- A third-inning double by Zach Fjelstad got the lead back, 2-1, and in the fifth, a 10-pitch at-bat by Gutierrez ended in a dribbler up the middle and through to make it a 3-1 lead
- Ricky Ojeda made the big pitches holding Oregon scoreless after the run in the second inning
- Ojeda got the Ducks in order in the first and third innings
- His biggest jam came in the fourth inning loading the bases on hit by pitches and a walk before inducing a timely double play ball
- He worked through some sun-induced miscues in a scoreless fifth inning, and another double-play ball helped him out of the sixth
- Oregon led off the seventh with a solo home run, but he came right back to erase the next three hitters including the final out on his fourth strikeout of the afternoon
- The eighth inning brought on a wild scene with eight runs coming home between the sides
- The Ducks started it off against Tim Grack putting the leadoff man on from a walk. An out later, Dominic Hellman peppered the foul pole to give Oregon its first lead of the day, 4-3. They added another from a couple singles and a pickoff error mixed in to make it 5-3
- UC Irvine got to work in their half with Tommy Farmer starting it all beating out a grounder to shortstop
- Another single and sac bunt put the tying runs into scoring position, and a hit by pitch would load the bases, but a strikeout meant the second out of the inning
- Zach Fjelstad showed up again chopping a single through the middle to score the tying runs, 5-5
- UC Irvine's plate discipline rose to the occasions battling through at-bats to take the lead and then some
- Alonso Reyes worked a seven-pitch walk followed by James Castagnola hit by the pitch to force home the go-ahead run
- A pitching change brought about a four-pitch walk to Rowan Felsch, and then Tommy Farmer was hit on the seventh pitch of his at-bat to grow the lead to 8-5
- Freshman Hunter Manning was called upon to close out things in the ninth
- The inning started with a dropped fly ball from the sun
- A strikeout brought things back in Manning's favor, but then a bunt single was thrown up the line to score a run and suddenly put the tying run at the plate
- Another Manning strikeout put Hellman back up looking for another long ball, but he popped out for the final out of the 8-6 victory.
UC Irvine 8, Oregon 6
- UC Irvine claimed its second ranked win of the weekend after beating Vanderbilt who was in multiple polls and now Oregon who entered the game 9-0 on the season and ranked No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll
- The Anteaters are now 8-3 on the season
- UCI also takes the lead in the all-time series with the Ducks, 6-5
- Ricky Ojeda went a career-long 97 pitches and seven innings allowing two runs on four hits while ending up with the no-decision
- Tim Grack ended up with the win despite the blown save and two earned runs of the three he allowed
- Hunter Manning gave up his first career run be it unearned, and struck out two on his way to his first career save
- Zach Fjelstad was the offensive hero again with three more hits driving in three runs.and scoring two of his own
The weekend wraps up Sunday, March 1, with a 3:00 p.m. against Arizona with
Cade Castles on the mound against Luc Fladda from the Wildcats.
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