IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball took on UC Santa Barbara Friday night in Anteater Ballpark dropping the opener 7-3
- The first inning was full of fireworks with the potential pitcher's duel seeing five runs come home between the teams
- The Gauchos got their first two runners on from a walk and bunt single, and both would come around on a double to make it 2-0, UCSB
- UCSB got another run across helped by infield singles and wild pitches to take a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the inning
- The 'Eaters answered right back with a leadoff walk and then a Frankie Carney double into the alley to make it 3-1
- A passed ball just before the third out brought Carney home and the game 3-2 after one
- The offenses imposed their will on both starters as they walked 10 batters between them
- The Gauchos were able to capitalize putting up three more runs in the third inning with a pair of errors contributing
- UC Irvine got runners on base in each of the next three innings including bases loaded in the third, but were unable to push anything else across
UC Santa Barbara 7, UC Irvine 3
- Trevor Hansen fell to 4-4 on the year drawing the loss after lasting just 2.2 innings
- Tyler Foster had maybe the best night of any pitcher relieving Hansen and retiring the first 11 batters he faced with five strikeouts before allowing a home run to the final batter he faced in his 3.2 innings
- Dane Grant, Peyton Rodgers, and Brandon Luu threw 2.2 innings of scoreless ball the rest of the way
- The bats had five hits with Frankie Carney a one-man wrecking crew getting two of them, reaching three times, and scoring and driving in a run
- Efren Ortega also reached three times with one hit among that and a run scored
The series moves to Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. start as
Finnegan Wall takes the mound against UCSB's Nathan Aceves
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