Tough luck for ‘Eaters

Barry Faulkner

The Friday night frustration continues for the UC Irvine baseball

team and junior pitching ace Brett Smith.

Visiting Cal State Fullerton and senior preseason All-American

Jason Windsor were just a little bit better Friday night, earning a

3-0 win in the opener of the Big West Conference series between

Orange County rivals before a season-high 1,572 spectators at

Anteater Ballpark.

It was the fifth straight complete game and sixth straight victory

for Windsor, who, like Smith, threw 121 pitches while going the

distance. Windsor worked out of jams in the first and eighth innings,

the latter a second-and-third, no-out predicament that ultimately

frustrated the hosts and thrilled the large contingent of Titan

rooters.

The visiting crowd also had plenty to cheer about in the first,

when the unranked, but Big West-leading Titans (31-21, 14-2) turned

five hits and a walk into more than enough to win for the 16th time

in their last 19 outings.

After a one-out single by Clark Hardman, junior catcher Kurt

Suzuki lashed a 3-1 fastball over the left-center-field fence to open

the scoring. Suzuki, hitting better than .500 in conference, now has

11 homers and 65 RBIs.

Danny Dorn, Sergio Pedroza and P.J. Pilittere also singled to

produce the third run and give the Titans the same amount of hits

(five), the Anteaters (31-15-1, 8-8) would get off Windsor.

“We were fortunate that Smith wasn’t sharp early,” Fullerton Coach

George Horton said. “He was up in the zone and wasn’t getting his

off-speed stuff over.”

Windsor had no such difficulties. He retired 15 straight at one

point and 19 of 20, before UCI catcher Mark Wagner lined a leadoff

single to center in the eighth.

Pinch-hitter R.J. Brown followed with a double to left-center and

the ‘Eaters appeared to have a rally.

Pinch-hitter David Kennedy followed with a line shot to the second

baseman and Windsor induced flyouts to right from the next two

hitters.

“[Windsor] dodged that inning when they had second and third, then

just about took our second baseman’s hand off [with the line drive],”

said Horton, who was not about to go to a bullpen that has recorded

one save this season.

UCI Coach John Savage also stuck with Smith, who threw 29 pitches

in the first, but quickly righted himself. Smith struck out nine, one

more than Windsor.

“To come back and post eight zeroes after that first inning, I

think Brett was as impressive as he’s been all season,” Savage said.

“For me, he showed as much character as I can ask from a pitcher.”

It was only Smith’s third loss in 10 decisions, though he has won

just once since April 8, largely due to lack of run support.