‘Eaters stumble to close

IRVINE — It appeared, for a time, that the UC Irvine baseball team had stumbled into position to edge San Diego State Tuesday night at Anteater Ballpark.

But, ultimately, it was the UCI bullpen that stumbled in the ninth inning, allowing the Aztecs to rally for a 6-5 nonconference victory that snapped the No. 18-ranked Anteaters’ four-game winning streak.

UCI scored the go-ahead run on a steal of home with two outs in the eighth to break a 4-4 tie. The play involved some deception.

With Casey Stevenson at third base, D.J. Crumlich at first, left-hander Ryan Wynveen on the mound and a 2-2 count on Brian Hernandez, Stevenson broke from third with Wynveen in a stretch and facing first base. With Stevenson bolting for the plate, Crumlich acted as if he had stumbled and fell to his stomach while taking a lead a few feet from first.

Wynveen, seeing the stumble, cocked to throw to first, allowing Stevenson just enough time to beat his delayed throw to the plate.

Hernandez then grounded out to end the inning.

“That’s just a desperation first-and-third play,” UCI Coach Mike Gillespie said of the gimmick that has been successful at least one previous time in his three seasons at the Anteaters’ helm. “It’s one of those deals where, when it works, you’re smart, and when it doesn’t, you’re a moron.”

Gillespie may have resorted to such “desperation,” due to a seven-hit output from his squad (17-9) against seven Aztecs pitchers, five of whom had earned-run averages of 5.20 or higher.

“We got seven hits against Tuesday-night pitching,” Gillespie said. “I mean that wasn’t their front-line pitching. I don’t understand that. Sometimes, you have to take your hat off and say it was a legit guy who out-pitched our hitters. I would like to have thought we would’ve been tougher outs tonight.”

The toughest out proved to the 27th for UCI, which had seen its bullpen perform well in recent weeks.

After San Diego State (12-17) scored four runs in the first four innings against UCI starter Matt Summers (three runs and five hits in 1 2/3 innings) and Kyle Hooper, Nick Hoover and Andy Lines pitched one and two scoreless innings of relief, respectively.

Senior closer Kyle Necke extended that scoreless streak with a perfect eighth, lengthening his personal scoreless-innings streak to 20 2/3 in the process.

But, for the first time in his last eight appearances, Necke allowed a run on a game-tying RBI double by pinch-hitter Guy Willeford with two outs in the ninth.

Necke was charged with a second run when Ryan O’Sullivan followed with an RBI single off reliever Christian Bergman.

San Diego State reliever John Pecoraro stranded the potential tying run at second in the ninth to earn his fifth save. UCI left 11 on base in the game.

The win was the Aztecs’ second in a row, but only the third in their last 10 games.

“It was certainly an unfortunate night,” Gillespie said. “I don’t have any possible explanation for this, I really don’t. It’s not OK.

“I think it’s just one more in a string of inconsistencies and I’m not smart enough to figure out why. I don’t have any idea why. It’s not OK.”

UCI senior first baseman Jeff Cusick extended his hitting streak to 17 games with an RBI singe in the first and sophomore Ronnie Shaeffer followed with an RBI single to give UCI a 2-1 edge.

After the Aztecs took a 4-2 lead, UCI pulled even on a two-run double by Stevenson in the fourth.

Only Stevenson (two for three with two stolen bases) had more than one hit for UCI.

Nonconference

Sand Diego State 6, UC Irvine 5

SCORE BY INNINGS

Leary, Sharp (2), Shaver (3), Moranda (4), Alcala (6), Wynveen (8), Pecoraro (9) and Parker; Summers, Hooper (2), Hoover (5), Lines (6), Necke (8), Bergman (9) and Larson. W – Wynveen, 1-2. L – Necke, 1-3. Sv – Pecoraro (5). 2B – Moore (SD), Parker (SD), Vaughn (SD), Summers (UCI), Willeford (SD), Stevenson (UCI), Blackburn (SD).