The UC Irvine Baseball team (4-3) was defeated by the Grand Canyon University Antelopes (3-4), 4-3, at the Cicerone Field at Anteater Park on Feb. 27.
Freshman pitcher Danny Suarez started for Irvine. He pounded four-seamers in the zone for two quick outs, but GCU shortstop Jacob Wilson came to the plate to halt Suarez’s strikes. With a 3-1 count, Wilson sent Suarez’s pitch over the left field wall. 1-0 GCU.
A full count strikeout brought Antelope pitcher Hunter Omlid to the bump. Omlid refused to give the Anteaters any pitches to hit, throwing almost all balls outside the strike zone.
The Anteaters exerted heavy aggression early in the game, chasing bad pitches for easy outs. Meanwhile, the Antelopes kept to the fundamentals and consequently got good contact on Suarez.
In the top of the fourth inning, GCU sophomore third baseman Dustin Crenshaw walked. He then hustled to third on a single, residing in the prime position for a sacrifice fly by the next batter. The Antelopes maintained their lead, 2-0.
After feeding through the Anteater lineup only once, Omlid’s brilliant pitching stratagem fell apart. Two back-to-back triples by Irvine ended Omlid’s outing. A sac fly allowed the second runner to score from third. The teams were tied 2-2 going into the top of the 6th.
A pitching change in the top of the sixth put Anteater redshirt sophomore pitcher Troy Taylor on the mound. Taylor, known for pitching at speeds up to 95 mph, awed the Irvine fans.
Despite the aesthetics of Taylor’s pitches, the Antelopes noticed and capitalized on his lack of control. In a blink, two players were on base, and Crenshaw scored again.
As a result, Irvine called upon redshirt sophomore pitcher Cameron Wheeler: a submariner, or low pitcher, with a 81 mph fastball. Despite his funky delivery, Wheeler did what Taylor could not and ended the inning. The lead returned to the Antelopes, 3-2.
Evidently, there was nervous energy in the Anteater dugout. But suddenly, Irvine redshirt senior first baseman Ben Fitzgerald exploded into action. Fitzgerald came up swinging with one out in the bottom of the sixth. He took an errant 1-1 pitch on a ride out of the stadium. The game was tied once again at 3-3.
Stringing together one pitch and one hit at a time, GCU secured the go-ahead score in the seventh. A stolen base was followed by a single to plate a run. The score became 4-3, GCU.
Despite furious effort and solid contact, neither team was able to get another runner home. The match ended with a GCU victory at 4-3.
Benjamin Hendricks is a Sports Staff Writer. He can be reached at bahendr1@uci.edu.