Coach Gillespie not pleased after loss

IRVINE — UC Irvine baseball coach Mike Gillespie could take issue with a handful of his team’s mistakes, including some not reflected in the box score. But the real difference, he believes, in the Anteaters’ 7-4 loss to Big West Conference visitor Pacific on Saturday lingers somewhere under the buttons on the UCI pitchers’ jerseys.

“We’re putting out an all-points bulletin for the tough guys,” Gillespie said of his impromptu confab with the UCI pitchers following his normal postgame address to the team.

“I think particularly late in a game, you need a different animal [on the mound],” Gillespie said. “You need a tough guy and, to me, it’s about guys that love competition when it’s on the line. And that’s not for everybody, unfortunately.”

Three of the five UCI left-handers, summoned to combat the four straight left-handed batters in the middle of the Pacific lineup, did not allow a run.

But freshman Evan Brock, who shut out San Diego on one hit through six innings in his first collegiate start Tuesday, gave up two runs on two walks and a two-out double in the seventh that broke a 4-4 tie.

The Tigers (21-12, 4-4 in conference) had no problem finding toughness out of their bullpen, as senior Hunter Carnevale turned his 5 2/3 innings of relief into a cruise to earn his third win in six decisions.

Carnevale gave up six hits and walked one. But he struck out five and stranded seven after taking over for starter David Rowse.

Rowse, who came in 6-0, was on the hook for his first loss of the season when he exited with one out in the fourth, when a Sean Madigan double drove home the final UCI run to produce a 4-3 lead.

UCI opened with five straight hits against Rowse, who picked Madigan off second base to help limit the hosts (20-12, 5-3) to two runs in the first.

Senior first baseman Jeff Cusick singled in the first UCI run and sophomore designated hitter Ronnie Shaeffer followed with an RBI single.

Junior right fielder Drew Hillman launched a solo home run in the second. Hillman, making his first start since March 20, walked to lead off the fourth and eventually came around to score on Madigan’s double.

Cusick, who extended his hitting streak to 23 games, was one of six Anteaters with multiple hits. He was two for five with two line drives that were caught by the shortstop.

The second lineout to short produced a double play when Casey Stevenson (three for five with a stolen base and a run) was doubled off second for the second out in the ninth.

Carnevale struck out Francis Larson with runners on first and second for the final out, dropping UCI out of first place in the Big West, one game behind Cal State Fullerton, which thumped UC Santa Barbara Saturday.

Gillespie was displeased with more than the pitching, which included four runs allowed, three earned, on five hits by starter Christian Bergman, who was lifted with two outs in the fifth.

“It was a variety of things,” Gillespie said. “We gave away outs. We gave them extra outs [a throwing error in the first by shortstop D.J. Crumlich led to an unearned run]. We missed signs and we didn’t put some skills in play. It was one of those days that I just don’t think should be happening in the 32nd game. And in the case of some of the guys we’re talking about, in the 132nd game, because they’ve been around here awhile.”

Hillman wound up two for three, Brian Hernandez was two for four, while Madigan and Shaeffer were two for five to help fortify UCI’s 14-hit attack.

UCI freshmen lefties Ruben Orosco, Andy Lines and Matt Whitehouse combined for 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, pitching only to lefties.

“Clearly [the lefty hurlers’] performance was one of the things to feel halfway good about,” Gillespie said.

The rubber game of the three-game series is today at 1 p.m.

Big West Conference

Pacific 7, UC Irvine 4

SCORE BY INNINGS

Rowse, Carnevale (4) and Oliveira; Bergman, Orosco (5), Brock (7), Lines (7), Hoover (8), Whitehouse (9) and Larson. W – Carnevale, 3-3. L – Brock, 2-2. 2B – Martin (UOP), Hernandez (UCI), Longmire (UOP), Oliveira (UOP), Madigan (UCI), Christopher (UOP), Gorang (UOP). HR – Hillman (UCI), Oliveira (UOP).