‘Eaters strike back!

Steve Virgen

ANTEATER BALLPARK - This must have been what UC Irvine juniors

Chris Miller and Chris Klemm were talking about a year ago at Cuesta

College when they wanted to play for the Anteaters baseball team.

Miller and Klemm, both originally from Orange County, combined for

seven hits, six RBIs and four runs scored, as Irvine held on for a 9-7

Big West Conference victory over No. 18 Cal State Fullerton Saturday

night in front of 1,830 at Anteater Ballpark. UCI’s victory sends the

‘Eaters up by a half-game over the third-place Titans (30-16, 11-6 in

conference) in the Big West.

“Growing up, my dream was to play for Fullerton,” said Klemm, UCI’s

right-fielder who went to Servite High in Anaheim. “It didn’t happen, so

I was pumped to play them.”

Miller, who, as Klemm also went to the community college in San Luis

Obispo, pounded out a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning

to give the Anteaters (29-19, 10-4) the early lead. Miller, the catcher

who went 3 for 5 with three runs scored and the two RBIs, is from Long

Beach and went to Wilson High. His home run tied the single-season record

with 10, sharing the top mark with Bryant Winslow (1991).

Klemm contributed with a 4-for-5 performance that came with four RBIs

and one run scored.

“They’re somewhat coming back to their roots,” UCI Coach John Savage

said. “They played for a very good program up at Cuesta. Their leadership

and their bats have really came to life. It’s very, very important to our

program to have two older guys lead by example.”

The victory for the Anteaters also gave the UCI duo a bit of bragging

rights over their friend and former Cuesta College teammate Justin

Smyres, who plays shortstop for Fullerton.

“I’ll probably give him a call (Sunday),” Miller said.

Fullerton answered Irvine’s two-run first with three runs in the

second. But, the Anteaters later came back with a four-run third. UCI

third baseman Steve Guthrie led off with a double and chased sophomore

starting pitcher Darric Merrell (6-3) off the mound. It was Merrell’s

shortest outing of his career.

Brett Dalton, UCI’s second baseman, chipped an RBI single in the

third, and Matt Anderson, the Big West batting leader entering the series

(.404), also came up with an RBI base hit. And after Miller smacked out a

double to the right field corner, Klemm came up with a two-run single,

and the Anteaters never lost their lead.

“We got thumped (Friday night),” Savage said. “It says a lot about our

character to come back and beat a team in the top 20”

Fullerton scored three runs in the ninth, but Paul French struck out

P.J. Pilittere swinging to get the final out with runners on the corners.

For Brett Smith, who went six innings, struck out six and improved to

4-0, the win was also special.

“I heard a couple of people out there yelling ‘traitor,’ and that kind

of stuff,” said Smith, a freshman who noted there were rumors that he was

going to Fullerton. “I wanted to come (to UCI) to play teams like

Fullerton and Long Beach and ranked teams. You only get better by playing

the best. I didn’t feel like I fit in the mold of (Fullerton). They all

kind of throw the same, kind of a sneaky delivery. That’s not the type of

pitcher I am.”

The Anteaters complete their series with Fullerton today at 1 p.m.