‘Eaters handled by USC
The pinnacle of dirt at the center of the diamond has recently resembled more of a precipice for UC Irvine pitchers.
The Anteaters, who have ridden a steady stream of productive arms to eight NCAA Regional berths in their previous 12 baseball seasons, came up well shy in the battle with batters for the second straight game Tuesday.
Visiting USC rapped out 15 hits in an 8-3 nonconference victory that made it 25 runs and 31 hits against UCI pitching in a two-game tailspin over three days; A veritable free-fall from the Ant hill.
It’s the most glaring back-to-back absence of UCI pitching prowess since 2010, when Cal Poly San Luis Obispo produced 28 runs in consecutive games (one an 18-13 UCI win). That was 349 games ago.
Cal Poly, in fact, started the recent opponents’ windfall with its 17-5 thumping of the visiting ‘Eaters on Sunday, which dropped UCI (28-22) into a seventh-place tie in the nine-team Big West Conference.
Tuesday, junior Ben Ritchey made his first start of the season, making him the 10th UCI hurler to start a game in 2016. That ties the most starting pitchers used in one season during Coach Mike Gillespie’s nine seasons. It’s one fewer starting pitcher than UCI used in the last two seasons combined.
Ritchey allowed eight hits and six runs (all earned) in 2 1/3 innings, including a solo home run and a grand slam that helped the Trojans (24-25) up their tater tally to 41 this season.
Sophomore Sean Vetrovec, a Newport Harbor High product, continued the rough run for UCI hurlers, surrendering two runs on three walks and one hit in two-thirds of an inning as the Trojans scored seven in the third inning.
It was the second seven-run inning in the last two games for UCI opponents.
Freshman Daniel Alvarez, perhaps the next in line to make his starting debut, followed Vetrovec with two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
Freshmen Miles Glazier (two hits in two innings) and Mitchell Miller (two more scoreless innings) also managed to stop the flow of blood that had stemmed from seven of the nine UCI pitchers previous to Glazier’s appearance having allowed at least two earned runs apiece, dating back to Sunday.
Freshman Dylan Riddle and junior closer Calvin Faucher, two of four UCI pitchers who have yet to start a game this season, each threw a scoreless inning to close out Sunday’s setback. The first-year contingent of Alvarez, Glazier, Miller, Riddle and Faucher (a community college transfer) might foster some hope for UCI rooters looking toward 2017, in a season that will not include the postseason.
“We [put] six zeroes up there, when the thing looked like it could turn into a severe rout,” Gillespie said. “[The freshmen relievers, who combined for eight strikeouts] did a good job and I was particularly pleased with Alvarez.”
UCI, which entered the week leading the Big West in hitting (.282), hits, doubles, runs batted in, on-base percentage and slugging, was stifled by USC starter Marrick Crouse, a freshman making his first start of the season. Crouse, who had thrown five innings in his previous three outings, blanked the ‘Eaters on two hits over five innings to earn his second win in as many decisions. He struck out five, walked none, and threw just 67 pitches.
Two singles by junior center fielder Evan Cassolato accounted for the UCI offense through six innings.
A pinch-double by junior Andrew Martinez began a string of four straight UCI hits that included an RBI single by senior Grant Palmer in the seventh.
Freshman Jake Hazard singled in a run in the ninth, after which Alex Guenette plated the final run with a fielder’s-choice grounder to short.
Parker Coss and Jonathan Muñoz added singles for UCI, against which USC pitchers amassed 12 strikeouts.
UCI plays host to a three-game Big West series with UC Santa Barbara beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m.
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Nonconference
USC 8, UC Irvine 3
SCORE BY INNINGS
USC 017 000 000 – 8 15 1
UCI 000 000 102 – 3 8 1
Crouse, Stubbs (6), Flores (7), Wheatley (7), Paschke (9) and Martinez, Stubbs (7); Ritchey, Vetrovec (3), Alvarez (4), Glazier (6), Miller (8) and Reitano, Mazur (5), Guenette (8). W – Crouse, 2-0. L – Ritchey, 2-3. 2B – Edson (USC), Martinez (UCI), Robinson (USC). HR – Dempster (USC), Ramirez (USC).
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Twitter: @BarryFaulkner5
