Pacific batters cooked by UCI’s French

After posting 14 runs in the first two games of the series against

the UC Irvine baseball team, host University of the Pacific came up

empty against Anteater pitcher Paul French as he allowed only four

hits and one run in 7 2/3 innings Saturday to lead UCI to a 6-1

victory in Big West Conference baseball action.

French, 2-3, cruised to his second win of the season for the UC

Irvine (16-25, 4-5 in conference), which snapped a four-game losing

streak. French walked only one batter and struck out seven, while

lowering his earned-run average to 3.64 in a 112-pitch effort. Keith

Raulinaitis and Jimmy Alstot closed out the Tigers (23-18, 3-6).

Pacific jumped out in front in the second inning as senior Cory

Lake walked to open the inning, then advanced to second on an errant

pickoff throw and scored on a two-out single through the left side by

Jesse Kovacs. That was the last Tiger baserunner, however, until the

seventh inning as French, a 6-foot-2 senior right-hander, retired 14

consecutive batters before Lake singled with one out.

UCI scored two unearned runs in the fourth inning on three singles

and two UOP errors. Then, in the top of the fifth and leading, 2-1,

UCI got a leadoff single from shortstop Kyle Ryckebosh, then put

runners on second and third after a Tiger throwing error on Jon

Horwitz’s sacrifice bunt. A single and a scoring fly ball to center

put the visitors ahead, 4-1.

Irvine added a run in the sixth as right fielder Gary Dudrey led

off with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, stole third base

and came home on a scoring fly ball. UCI, which added a run in the

ninth, was paced offensively by Chris Klemm, who was 2 for 4 with an

RBI and run scored, Mark Wagner, 2 for 5 with two RBIs and a run,

Matt Falk, 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Dudrey, 2 for 3 with a run.

UCI returns to action hosting Cal State Northridge in a Big West

series at Anteater Ballpark April 25-27. Game times are 7:00 p.m.

Friday, 6:00 p.m. Saturday and 1:00 p.m. Sunday.

*--*

Big West Conference

UC Irvine 6, Pacific 1

Score by Innings

UCI 000 221 001 -- 6 12 1

UOP 010 000 000 -- 1 5 3

French, Raulinaitis (8), Alstot (9) and

Wagner; Stanford, Godkin (5), Graham

(7), Willick (9) and Amezquita. W --

French, 2-3. L -- Stanford, 2-5. 2B --

Amezquita (P)

*--*