Irvine denied crown

RIVERSIDE — When you win 16 games in the Big West Conference, there’s much more to your game than good fortune. But win No. 16 that clinched the first Big West Conference championship in the tradition-rich history of the UC Riverside baseball program Saturday night began to crystallize around a bunt that appeared to be lost in the sun.

With a twilight sun gleaming toward the right side of the diamond in the third inning at the Riverside Sports Complex, UC Irvine first baseman Taylor Holiday’s sunglasses weren’t enough to protect the Anteaters from an official scorer’s nightmare that led to a 2-2 tie in a game the Highlanders eventually went on to win, 4-2.

The loss eliminated No. 10-ranked UCI (39-15-1, 14-6 in conference) from the race for the program’s first Big West crown.

Combined with Long Beach State’s 10-5 victory at Cal State Fullerton Saturday, it also dropped the Anteaters into a second-place tie with the 49ers with one game to play today.

UCI closes out its series with No. 16-ranked Riverside (37-18, 16-4) today at 1 p.m.

Long Beach State closes its regular season today at 1 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton.

UCI, needing to complete a three-game series with two wins over the Highlanders to land atop the Big West standings, opened the scoring Friday in its half of the third inning.

Holiday singled with two outs and went to third on a single by Ben Orloff. With Cody Cipriano at the plate, Orloff broke for second and the catcher made a throw to the second baseman cutting in front of the bag. But despite a defensive play that appeared tailor-made to negate a potential double steal, Holiday easily beat the throw home from second baseman Ben Price for a 1-0 lead.

The Highlanders rallied for two runs in the third inning, thanks to three consecutive singles and the fortuitous outcome on the aforementioned bunt play with one out and runners on first and third.

With one run in, Aaron Wible bunted toward first base as Jaime Pedroza broke home from third on a safety squeeze. The bunt bounced off the dirt close to the plate and caromed high toward a charging Holiday who appeared to have the ball judged, and enough time to throw home to easily get the runner. But as the ball fell toward his glove, Holiday appeared to lose the ball in the sun. He adjusted the position of his glove and the ball bounced off him for what was ruled a sacrifice, fielder’s choice and error.

On the play, UCI starting pitcher Wes Etheridge, backing up Holiday, planted his spikes awkwardly in the grass just off the mound. Etheridge said he hyper extended his left leg trying to throw the ball to first and injured his left quadriceps.

“It felt like a permanent Charlie horse,” Etheridge said of the injury, which Serrano deemed severe enough to remove his right-hander from the game.

Dylan Axelrod took over on the mound for UCI and struck out the first two he faced to get out of the jam. He worked three more scoreless innings, before Riverside posted the game-winning rally with two outs in the seventh.

Junior shortstop Jaime Pedroza began the rally on a 10-pitch at-bat that ended with a double off the right-field wall.

First baseman Mark Samuelson followed with an RBI single, then Wible and pinch-hitter Ryan Goetz singled, the latter driving in the final run, to put Riverside starter Matt Montgomery in position for his fifth win in as many decisions.

Montgomery worked 8 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits and two runs. He walked none and struck out a career-high eight.

UCI pitchers, including freshman reliever Tom Calahan, who allowed no runs in 1 1/3 innings, combined to strike out 13, a season-high for the Anteaters.

Axelrod (3-4) had seven strikeouts, but absorbed the loss.

Serrano said Holiday took his eye off the ball to look for the base runner from third on the third-inning bunt play.

Both Serrano and Etheridge said the quadriceps injury should not affect Etheridge’s availability for the NCAA Regionals that begin Friday.

“In the long run, it might have been a blessing for us to have to take him out, because Wes has been running on fumes,” Serrano said.

Petersen and Madigan, who had two hits apiece, singled with one out in the ninth to bring the potential go-ahead run to the plate. But Ollie Linton was retired on a high chopper to the pitcher and pinch-hitter Zach Robinson hit a soft looper to shortstop to spark a wild championship celebration by the Highlanders.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.

UC Riverside 4, UC Irvine 2

Score by Innings

UCI 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 7 2

UCR 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 x - 4 12 1

Etheridge, Axelrod (3), Calahan (7) and Lowenstein; Montgomery, Kelly (9) and Dunbar. W -- Montgomery, 5-0. L -- Axelrod, 3-4. Sv -- Kelly (6). 2B -- Pedroza (UCR).