College baseball: UCI fights back, 10-9

Steve Virgen

ANTEATER BALLPARK - The UC Irvine baseball team is not one to back

down from a challenge. This much it showed during its first season back

after a 10-year hiatus.

Irvine first baseman Matt Anderson drilled a walk-off RBI single,

leading the Anteaters to a wild 10-9 Big West victory Saturday that

included a dugout-clearing altercation in the top of the eighth.

UCI junior catcher Chris Miller went 3 for 4 with three runs and three

RBIs, the latter on a three-run home run in the eighth to extend his

school single-season home run record to 12.

The Anteaters (33-26, 14-10 in the Big West) end the regular season

tied for third with Cal State Fullerton. The Anteaters will find out

today whether they receive an at-large berth into the NCAA regionals.

“This was a hell of a game to finish on,” UCI Coach John Savage said.

“I’m proud of our team and I think the NCAA has to take a look at us.

We’re tied with Cal State Fullerton in (conference) ... that says a lot

about the character of our players.”

Trailing, 5-4, after five innings, Riverside (30-28, 10-14) made its

move in the hot-tempered eighth. UCR junior Jimmy Anderson pounded an RBI

double, then Brian Emmons launched a three-run home run for an 8-4 lead.

With two outs, UCI reliever Jon Koller hit Riverside batter Brian

Wahlbrink on his upper arm, nearly setting off a fight. Then, Adam Seuss,

who entered the series with a team-leading .376 average, tried to stretch

a single into a double. Irvine right fielder Chris Klemm made a pinpoint

throw to B.J. Eucce and Eucce tagged out the sliding Seuss, pushing him

after the tag. Seuss retaliated and set off a brief scuffle which

included shoving and sporadic punches by players on both teams. The

incident ended with heated words between Riverside Coach Jack Smitheran

and Savage and both coaches said afterward the issue was not settled.

No players were ejected, but umpires ordered both teams to spend the

rest of the game in opposite outfield corners.

“Emotions were high,” Eucce said. “I thought (Seuss) came in cheap,

with his cleats high.”

Said Smitheran, “It all started from an incident (Saturday) night.

There was a pop-up and a collision at first base (Saturday in the first

inning between UCI’s Anderson and Wahlbrink). (Wahlbrink) went brain dead

... That was (Irvine’s) point when (Sean Tracey threw behind Wahlbrink to

start the game) and that should have been the end of it. But, now we have

a rival. Whether they like it or not, they’ve got a rival. That had to be

a very entertaining game to watch ... When Miller hit that home run, that

took a lot of wind out of us.”

Miller scored a key run in the fifth on Jordan Szabo’s RBI single.

Miller’s head-first slide missed the plate, but UCR catcher Jimmy

Anderson missed the tag and Miller quickly touched the base.

“We came out and brawled a little bit,” Miller said. “Any time that

happens, it’s a battle, an absolute battle. It’s not only baseball. It’s

your pride for your team. It just brings the intensity up. And it’s

awesome to beat them like that: a walk-off (RBI single). And, (UCR

pitcher Chris Smith) said something in (the Daily Pilot) that they’re a

lot better than us, and we decided to show them we are the better team.

Straight up.”

Before the seventh inning, Savage reminded his players of Smith’s

quote after Riverside’s 8-2 win Friday. Savage later said Smith’s words

motivated his team.

Smith said Friday, “We’re the better team and I think we showed that

(Friday).”

The 64-team NCAA tournament field will be announced at 9:30 a.m. today

on ESPN2.

Irvine won six out of its eight Big West series this season, including

a sweep at second-place Long Beach State, which swept Fullerton this

weekend at Blair Field.

“We put ourselves in position to at least be on the (selection)

board,” Savage said. “Hey, we weren’t on the board the last 10 years.”

BIG WEST CONFERENCE

UC Irvine 10, UC Riverside 9

UC Riverside 220 000 041 - 9 10 1

UC Irvine 200 120 041 - 10 14 2

Thiessen, Fernandez (5), Gibson (8), Perkins (8), Ellis (9) and

Anderson, Collette (9); Tracey, Koller (8), Tripoli (8), Koehler (9) and

Miller. W - Koehler, 1-3. L - Ellis, 0-1. 2B - Seuss (R), Faulkner (R),

Anderson (R), Emmons (R), Szabo (UCI). 3B - Klemm (UCI). HR - Emmons (R),

Miller (UCI).