Anteaters defeat Tigers to claim Big West series

UC Irvine freshman right-hander Justin Cassel limited the University

of the Pacific to a run on four hits in eight innings to lead host UC

Irvine to a 6-1 Big West Conference baseball victory Sunday before

726 at Anteater Ballpark.

Cassel, who improved to 4-2, had a career-high nine strikeouts and

walked just one, before turning the ball over to freshman Blair

Erickson, who pitched a scoreless ninth and fanned one.

The 10 strikeouts by UCI pitchers gave them 35 for the three-game

series, which the Anteaters won, two games to one. It was the eighth

time in nine tries Coach John Savage’s squad, ranked No. 9 by

Collegiate Baseball and No. 16 by Baseball America, has won a series

this spring.

Sophomore shortstop Kyle Ryckebosch was one of three ‘Eaters with

two hits and he delivered a game-high two RBIs.

Ryckebosch, hitting in the No. 9 spot in the order, was part of a

potent lower third of the lineup for the winners (26-11-1, 4-5 in

conference).

Junior right fielder David Kennedy, hitting in the No. 7 spot, was

2 for 4, while sophomore catcher Mark Wagner, hitting eighth, was 2

for 4 with an RBI.

Junior third baseman Matt Anderson, who finished 7 for 14 in the

series, hit a solo home run to help round out the hosts’ nine-hit

attack against three Tiger hurlers.

The Anteaters got on the board in the second when Ryckebosch’s

single drove in first baseman Jaime Martinez, who had reached on an

error.

Pacific tied the game in the third as outfielder Nicholas Sekiya

singled up the middle, stole second and advanced to third on a

throwing error. Sekiya scored on a grounder by designated hitter

Brandon Gottier.

Anderson broke the tie in the third with his third home run of the

season and UCI added two runs in the fourth and two in the sixth.

UOP, which had lost nine straight before surprising UCI, 2-1, in

Friday’s series opener, fell to 16-24, 1-8.

With just nine Big West games remaining, UCI sits in fifth place

in the conference, trailing Long Beach State (9-0 in the Big West),

Cal State Fullerton (8-1), UC Riverside (7-2) and Cal Poly San Luis

Obispo (5-4).

UCI visits USC Tuesday at 7 p.m., before visiting Cal State

Northridge (0-9 in conference) for a three-game series beginning

Friday at 3 p.m.