Box Score LONG BEACH, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball got a long-awaited win in whirlwind fashion downing their rivals on their home turf in 11 innings, 12-9, Saturday night at Blair Field.

• Things started out ominously with a four-run LBSU first inning
  • A bunt single and a triple from the first two batters got the hosts on the board, 1-0
  • A single, balk, and groundout drove in the other three runs for a 4-0 deficit early
• LBSU had grown their lead to 5-0 when UCI responded in the sixth inning
  • Noah Alvarez singled home two to get on the scoreboard, 5-2
  • With two outs, three straight hits came including Zach Doyle doubling home a pair, and Frankie Carney singled him around to tie things, 5-5
• The Dirtbags wasted no time responding scoring four runs in the bottom of the inning
  • Three walks loaded the bases followed by a two-run single and RBI double
  • A fielder's choice made it 9-5 before a strikeout with the bases loaded ended the rally
• The Anteater offense came alive once again in the eighth inning
  • The 'Eaters walked to load the bases, but also got two outs still trailing by four
  • Two-out walks to Auggie Gutierrez and Zach Crandall forced in a pair
  • Following the second pitching change of the inning, Alvarez struck again with another two-out, two-run single after fouling off three pitches to get back even, 9-9
• On the other side of things, UCI's pitching was piecing together scoreless innings thanks to David Butler and Dane Grant.
  • They gave way to Danny Suarez with one out in the ninth. Outside of a fielding error, he retired every Dirtbag he faced as the game extended into extra innings
• In the 11th inning, former LBSU player Alonso Reyes got the big breakthrough and the first lead all night for the 'Eaters tripling the other way to clear the bases and put UCI ahead for good, 12-9

UC Irvine 12, Long Beach State 9 (11 innings)

• The 13-hit barrage was led by Reyes whose only hit was the 11th-inning game-winner
  • A fellow former Dirtbag Efren Ortega had three hits, reached four times, and scored three runs
  • Alvarez had a four-RBI night coming from his two-run hits
  • Frankie Carney was all over the basepaths with three hits, three walks, two runs, an RBI, and stole a base
  • Zach Doyle came off the bench to provide two key hits, driving in two, walking once, and scoring twice
• Pitching was highlighted by Suarez picking up the win in 2.2 spotless innings and three strikeouts
  • Also effective was Tyler Foster with 2.1 innings of one-run ball and added three strikeouts as well
  • David Butler retired the two hitters he faced while stranding two inherited runners
  • Dane Grant got things to Suarez with a scoreless inning boosted by a double play ball

The rubber match is set for Sunday, March 29, at 1:05 p.m. Finnegan Wall gets the ball against reigning Big West Pitcher of the Week Jason Gerfers

Postgame Thoughts from head coach Ben Orloff
"It's good to win. I told the team, I feel like that back half of the game, we got past the point of trying or worrying or pressing, and just competed. To come back from down five and then down four, we got past all that stuff. That was a lot of fun the back half of that game."

"Huge hit by Alonso. He was scuffling and hating life when he had that chance in the ninth inning with two outs and the go-ahead run on second. The amount of work that guy puts in and how much he cares, for him to come up in a big spot when we really needed it, we were really happy to see that. Suarez has been pitching good, all year he's thrown the ball well, we probably haven't gone to him enough. Tonight, he's been good for different spurts in his career so maybe it's recent memory, but tonight he was really good - competitive, strikes, multiple pitches, execution, and he was going to be out there until the game was over. He was really good and that was cool to see."

"David Butler came in to a huge spot to strand them on the popup when we haven't been stranding guys much lately. Dane Grant came in, gave up the single and then got a big double play."