College baseball: Anteaters take over third

ANTEATER BALLPARK - The UC Irvine baseball team moved into sole

possession of third place in the Big West Conference Sunday by edging the

pesky visiting Sacramento State Hornets, 4-3.

Sacramento State (19-31, 1-17 in conference), which broke a 15-game

conference losing streak by knocking off the Anteaters Friday night, then

played the hosts even through four innings of a 10-6 UCI win Saturday,

jumped in front, 3-0, in the series finale.

Catcher Matt Wilson doubled with the bases loaded in the second inning

for the only big blow against UCI starter Sean Tracey, who shut the

Hornets out in six of his seven innings.

The Anteaters (31-22, 16-6), however, answered with a three-run third

to pull even.

A double by freshman Matt Anderson plated junior teammate B.J. Eucce

for the first Anteater tally. UCI pulled even when an error by first

baseman Chris Kinsey resulted in the game’s only two unearned runs.

Both teams put up zeros in the middle innings, but UCI broke through

in the seventh for what proved to be the game-winner.

Anderson, who amassed seven RBIs in the series, drove in freshman

Martinez with a sacrifice fly to make a winner of Tracey, who is now 8-6

after striking out six and yielding six hits before giving way to Paul

French.

French, a junior right-hander, allowed only one hit in two hitless

relief innings to post his second save.

The win, combined with Long Beach State’s 10-8 loss Sunday to

conference-leading Cal State Northridge, helped the Anteaters move a game

ahead of the 49ers (11-7 in conference) into third place.

Northridge (16-5 in conference) remains ahead of Cal State Fullerton,

which fell to 14-7 against Big West competition after dropping a 10-8

verdict to UC Riverside Sunday.

UCI visits Northridge for a three-game series, beginning Friday at 3

p.m.

BIG WEST CONFERENCE

UC Irvine 4, Sacramento State 3

Sacramento State 030 000 000 - 3 7 1

UC Irvine 003 000 10x - 4 9 2

Tracey, French (8) and Miller; Marzion, Decker (8) and Wilson. W -

Tracey, 8-6. L - Marzion, 2-6. Sv - French (2). 2B - Wilson (S), Anderson

(UCI).