Bergman hot pitcher in Alaska League

Several UC Irvine baseball players have extended their summer league seasons as their teams have advanced to playoffs. Christian Bergman and catcher Francis Larson, both of whom will be juniors in 2009, earned all-league recognition in the Alaska Baseball League.

Bergman, pitching with the Anchorage Bucs, was named to the first-team ABL All-Star team after posting a 4-2 record with a 1.34 earned-run average. The right-hander struck out 34 in 62 1/3 innings while allowing just nine earned runs. Bergman also shared ABL All-Star second team Player of the Year honors with Joe Gardner of the Peninsula Oilers. Bergman pitched three complete games in eight starts.

Larson was named a second-team All-Star with the Peninsula Oilers and is competing at the National Baseball Congress World Series that runs through Aug. 15. The Oilers finished third in the league and opened action with an 11-1 win against the Southern California Bombers. The team then defeated the Clarinda A’s of Iowa, 11-7, and faced the Crestwood Panthers (Illinois) Friday. In 38 games, Larson hit .176 in 136 at-bats, with one home run and 14 RBIs.

Outfielder Tony Asaro, playing with the Alaska League champion Glacier Pilots, is also competing at the NBC World Series. The Pilots defeated the Southern Tulsa Diamond Jaxx, 10-0, in their first game and faced the Colorado Sox Thursday. Asaro, who will be a senior next season, was hitting .261 in 111 at-bats with one homer and 15 RBIs.

UCI pitcher Crosby Slaught and the Santa Barbara Foresters won the California League title and routed the Wichita Wild Wings, 20-2, in their first game at the NBC World Series. The Foresters met the Plaza Tire Capahas from Missouri Friday. Slaught will be a sophomore next season.

Alaska Goldpanners teammates Casey Stevenson and Reid Suitor, both of whom will be juniors in 2009, have concluded their seasons. Stevenson hit .270 in 122 at-bats, including a team-leading 13 extra-base hits and 18 RBIs. Stevenson, who hit one homer and eight doubles, was not thrown out in eight stolen-base attempts.

Suitor was 1-1 with an 8.76 ERA in 12 1/3 innings, spanning eight appearances. The right-hander struck out five and walked five.

First baseman Jeff Cusick, coming off his sophomore season at UCI, helped the Harwich Mariners make the Cape Cod League playoffs.

Cusick hit .183 in 71 regular-season at-bats, with one homer and 12 RBIs.

Outfielder Cory Olson, who starred at Orange Coast College last season and will transfer to UCI, joined future Anteaters teammates Bryce Stowell and Eric Pettis, both pitchers, on the Cape Cod League All-Star team.

Playing with the Chatham A’s, Olson hit .333 in the regular season with 37 hits in 114 at-bats. He also drove in nine runs.

Pettis, who had 17 saves as a sophomore last season, went 2-0 with six saves for the Bourne Braves. The right-hander has struck out 22 in 24 innings while allowing six earned runs on 11 hits.

Stowell, who figures to be UCI’s Friday night starter as a junior next season, started the All-Star Game. He was 2-1 with a 2.56 ERA in the regular season with 49 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings. He allowed just 11 earned runs.

Noel Avison, pitching for the Wisconsin Woodchucks of the Northwoods League, had helped his team to the South Division lead through Thursday, 1 1/2 games ahead of three teams, including the Green Bay Bullfrogs, whose roster includes Avison’s UCI teammates Dillon Bell and Kyle Necke.

Division playoffs are scheduled to begin Tuesday.

Avison was 1-0 with a 2.81 ERA through Thursday. The right-hander had struck out 13 and walked 11 in 16 innings, spanning eight relief appearances.

Through Thursday, Necke was 1-2 with one save and a 2.10 ERA. He had 21 strikeouts and had allowed 23 hits in 26 2/3 innings.

Bell, who like Necke will be a junior, was hitting .165 in 97 at-bats through Thursday. The outfielder had 11 RBIs.

Infielder Brian Hernandez, who will join the UCI program this fall, is playing third base for the St. Cloud River Bats of the Northwoods League. Through Thursday, he was hitting .270 in 215 at-bats with two homers, 24 RBIs and six steals in 10 attempts.

Nick Farinacci, playing for the Oahu Paddlers in the Hawaii League, hit .220 with 11 RBIs. He helped the Paddlers reach the league title game, in which it lost to Kauai. Farinacci will be a junior for UCI.

Scott Hong, playing for the Hawaii Aliis in the same league, hit .250 with nine RBIs and nine stolen bases.

Tyler Hoechlin, playing for the Maxim Yankees of the California Collegiate League, hit .231 with three RBIs in 13 at-bats through July 29. Hoechlin will be a sophomore for UCI.

— From staff reports