UCI can’t hold Gauchos down

Bryce Alderton

The stranglehold the UC Irvine pitching staff had on visiting UC

Santa Barbara the previous two games gave way on Saturday to a

barrage of hits that found a variety of spots inside Anteater

Ballpark.

UCI, which had limited the Gauchos to 12 hits in taking the first

two games of the opening Big West Conference series, allowed 15 hits

Saturday as the visitors claimed the third and final game of the

series, 8-2, in front of 789 spectators.

The Anteaters (22-7-1, 2-1 in the Big West, winners of six

straight and nine of 10 heading into Saturday’s matinee, held the

potent Gaucho offense to just three runs in the first two games, but

couldn’t a squad that has now scored 276 runs in its 32 games. UCI

has tallied 164 runs.

“Santa Barbara is a good offensive team. They can hit,” UCI Coach

John Savage said.

UCSB right fielder Matt Wilkerson went 3 for 5 with two runs

scored and two RBIs while shortstop Chris Valaika scored twice and

had three RBIs in going 2 for 5 with a home run and triple.

The Gauchos (21-12, 1-2) did their damage steadily, scoring single

runs in the second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth innings

to go with two runs in the eighth, hitting four UCI pitchers.

Four of the Gauchos’ first five runs came via two groundouts, a

sacrifice fly and a fielder’s choice.

“This is a tough league with lots of quality arms, so you have to

[manufacture runs],” UCSB Coach Bob Brontsema said. “UCI is a very

good team that throws a lot of good guys out there. They just beat us

[the first two games].”

Brett Smith tossed a five-hitter in UCI’s 7-0 win in the series

opener while teammate Glenn Swanson struck out 11 in Friday’s 5-3

victory.

UCI starter Chris Nicoll, who entered with the lowest ERA of the

three regular starters (1.58), suffered his first loss of the season

after allowing three runs -- two earned -- in 4 1/3 innings with three strikeouts and three walks.

David Huff, Michael Koehler and Jimmy Alstot came on in relief,

but couldn’t extinguish the Gaucho offense.

“This team is built around pitching and defense, but [Saturday] we

didn’t get ahead of people and didn’t execute mentally,” Savage said.

“Nicoll has been good for us, but he just struggled [Saturday].”

Savage referred to a double-play that ended a UCI rally in the

bottom of the sixth as an example of the mental lapses that cost his

team.

The ‘Eaters trailed, 4-2, and had runners at first and second and

one out. But, with pinch-hitter Greg Wallis at the plate, catcher

Matt Kalafatis fired to Greg Powers at first and caught R.J. Brown

too far off the bag. What ensued was a series of throws between first

and second that ended in Brown being tagged out.

But the rundowns didn’t stop there.

Erik Johnson, who like Brown had reached on a single, veered too

far from second and was soon tagged out, ending the inning.

“That was an absolute breakdown,” Savage said. “That changed the

momentum of the game. We had [Wallis] up there who we liked and he

was wasted when in the rundown. [Brown] thought the ball would be in

the dirt, but it wasn’t and we got into a mess. We didn’t have any

errors on the scoreboard, but there were errors that don’t show up on

the box score.”

McRobbie and reliever Aaron Jones took over the final three

innings, retiring the side in order twice in that span to preserve

the win for starter Steve Morlock, who allowed two runs in five

innings with two strikeouts and two walks.

Second baseman Matt Fisher went 2 for 4 with two runs scored while

Matt Anderson added two hits in three at-bats for UCI, which had won

four straight against UCSB dating to last year.

Savage, though, was pleased with the opening weekend of conference

play.

“If you can win two of three each weekend, you’re going to be in

good shape,” Savage said.

*--*

Big West Conference

UC Santa Barbara 8, UC Irvine 2

Score by Innings

UCSB 011 011 121 -- 8 15 0

UC Irvine 100 010 000 -- 2 9 0

Morlock, McRobbie (6), Jones (9) and

Kalafatis; Nicoll, Huff (5), Koehler

(6), Alstot (7) Schroer (9) and

Wagner. W -- Morlock, 6-4. L --

Nicoll, 3-1. 2B -- Sutton (UCSB),

Powers (UCSB), Malec (UCSB), Anderson

(UCI). 3B -- Valaika (UCSB). HR --

Valaika (UCSB).

*--*