College baseball: Irvine shut down by UCR

Steve Virgen

ANTEATER BALLPARK - Sometimes desperation is not enough, especially

when UC Riverside junior Chris Smith is pitching, and especially when the

frantic UC Irvine baseball team has trouble ending the third and eighth

innings.

Visiting Riverside (30-27, 10-13 in the Big West) and Smith set a

cloud over Irvine’s postseason hopes with an 8-2 Big West victory

Saturday, which featured Smith’s recordbreaking night. With today’s game

the last of the regular season, the Anteaters (32-26, 13-10) dropped down to fifth in the Big West, as Cal Poly defeated UC Santa Barbara, 10-9, to

regain fourth place.

Irvine’s best scenario is a fourth-place finish.

Smith, a right-handed pitcher, notched his Big West-leading eighth

complete game and broke the school single-season record for strikeouts

(127), as he fanned 15 Anteaters to also break the UCR single-game record

for strikeouts. Smith, who logged 143 pitches, improved to 9-8 and

provided his coach, Jack Smitheran, with his 900th win.

“You have to give Smith a lot of credit,” UCI Coach John Savage said.

“He came out and dominated us. Whenever you get dominated like that, you

have to play perfect baseball and we didn’t. We gave them a couple of

runs early. I think Smith is one of the best pitchers in the (Big West)

and his numbers show that.”

The Highlanders grabbed the early momentum with a four-run two-out

rally in the third, and then sealed the win with a three-run two-out

rally in the eighth.

Meanwhile, Smith did not allow a hit until after 4 2/3 innings when

Alex Gascon chipped a base hit. But, Smith ended the inning with his

eighth strikeout.

“We knew going into the series (the Anteaters) had to sweep, but we

weren’t going to let that happen,” Smith said. “We’re the better team and

I think we showed that tonight.”

The Anteaters collected three of their six hits in the eighth inning,

when they scored two runs with two outs. UCI first baseman Matt Anderson

pounded out a two-run single to score Gregg Wallis, who doubled, and B.J.

Eucce, who singled.

Then, Chris Klemm came up to bat, and on his second strike, UCI

assistant coach Jason Gill disputed the call and was ejected. Smith

finished Klemm with a strikeout to end the inning. Smith had five

strikeouts to end innings, including the ninth.

Irvine, on the other hand, dealt with pitching problems coming into

the game. In addition, UCI freshman Michael Koehler took the ball for his

first start and could not last past the third inning, giving up four

runs. Freshman Jon Koller went the next 4 1/3 innings, allowing one run.

“(Glenn) Swanson (elbow) and (Paul) French (back muscle injury) are

not on the 25-man (roster),” Savage said. “We are very limited on our

(pitching) options. The only other option might have been (to start)

Koller. I really believe those guys did a nice job. If we make some plays

early in that game, (the score) is probably 1-0 going into the eighth.”

Highlanders first baseman Brian Emmons went 2 for 3 with three RBIs to

lead Riverside.

Irvine and UCR will close out the regular season today at 1 p.m.