College Baseball: Bruins handle ‘Eaters
The discouraging trends continue for the UC Irvine baseball team, which will enter its final Big West Conference series on Thursday looking for a foothold.
After a 13-3 nonconference drubbing by No. 2-ranked UCLA in their final home game of the season Tuesday, the Anteaters have lost five straight. Further, UCI, which within a three-game span over the weekend fell from first place to third in the Big West, committed four errors against the Bruins and has at least one error in each of its last nine games. In that nine-game span, UCI (31-22) has 19 miscues, after collecting 42 in its first 44 games this season.
In addition, the recent struggles of freshman pitcher Cameron Bishop continue to escalate. Bishop allowed five runs, all earned, on six hits in one-third of an inning after relieving freshman starter Alonzo Garcia, who absorbed his first loss in four decisions.
Bishop, who through May 9 had a 1.62 earned-run average in 27 2/3 innings, has now given up nine earned runs on nine hits in four innings, spanning four appearances. His ERA has risen to 4.55.
Its win total rising is what UCI now needs in a three-game set at Cal State Northridge, which comes into its final series at 32-22, but 7-14 in conference.
“The only way I would feel comfortable is if we sweep,” UCI Coach Mike Gillespie said of the scenarios involving receiving an at-large berth into the NCAA Regionals. “If we finish below Cal Poly [San Luis Obispo, which enters the final weekend tied for third with UCI], that may be the only excuse the selection committee needs to not take three teams from this conference [behind Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara].”
Gillespie prioritized his concerns as the losing streak, the pitching struggles, and what he called playing fast and loose with the baseball [defensively].
But after a 2014 campaign in which UCI lost eight of its last nine in the regular season, yet turned it around to reach the College World Series, there is anything but a fatalistic feeling in the UCI dugout. At least not yet.
“I’m concerned that we have not won for five games in a row,” Gillespie said. “I’m concerned about the toll it takes on guys’ mentality and confidence. So we just have to deal with that. That’s the first thing.
“We are ultra-concerned about the pitching; about the way we pitched last weekend. We are concerned about the midweek pitching, but there is no other midweek to worry about.”
Gillespie said he was encouraged by the two-inning relief stint of freshman Shaun Vetrovec, who allowed three hits and one run. He struck out one and walked none.
“That’s the best we’ve seen from [Vetrovec] in a long time,” Gillespie said of the Newport Harbor High product. “That was encouraging, and certainly gives me renewed hope for the future with that guy.”
Junior Jonathan Munoz, making a rare start at first base for junior Mitchell Holland, went three for four with a double and a run batted in and a double to account for half of UCI’s hits.
Junior shortstop Mikey Duarte had a two-run single in a three-run third inning that accounted for UCI’s only significant rally against the Bruins.
UCLA (41-12), guided by former UCI Coach John Savage, scored double-digit runs against UCI in both meetings this season, outscoring the ‘Eaters, 28-11. UCI has allowed at least 10 runs only four times this season.
The Bruins had nine extra-base hits to win their fifth straight. The Pac-12 Conference leaders have won nine of their last 10.
—
Nonconference
UCLA 13, UC Irvine 3
SCORE BY INNNINGS
UCLA 303 510 001 – 13 18 0
UCI 003 000 000 – 3 6 4
Poteet, Bird (5), Burke (7), Ceja (8), Pierandozzi (9) and Miller Jr., Hazard (8) Garcia, Bishop (3), Sparling (3), Vetrovec (8) and McClanahan, Guenette (8). W – Poteet, 6-1. L – Garcia, 3-1. 2B – Stephens (UCLA) 2, Miller Jr. (UCLA), Keck (UCLA), Bono (UCLA), Chatterton (UCLA), Persico (UCLA), Munoz (UCI), Hiura (UCI). 3B – Bouchard (UCLA). HR – Kramer (UCLA).