The UC Irvine Baseball team (10-6) was defeated by the Iowa Hawkeyes (7-7), 10-12, at the Cicerone Field at Anteater Park on Mar. 13.
The Anteater hitters started the game with patience and poise, generating solid contact as they waited for good pitches. They showed promise in the first inning with two scoring runs and a great start by freshman pitcher Danny Suarez.
Suarez dominated in the first two innings, retiring six batters in a row with palpable confidence. Despite giving up a double to start the third, Suarez was in a good position to end the inning. Hawkeye sophomore shortstop Micheal Seegers stepped up to the plate, staring down a 0-2 count. Suarez threw four straight balls, walking Seegers.
Suddenly, however, the game began to unravel for Suarez. A 0-2 count on the next batter turned into a double, beginning the hit parade. Suarez was pulled for redshirt junior pitcher Micheal Stanford with five runs scored and two on. Stanford allowed two scores, enabling the Anteaters to limp out of the inning, 2-7.
As the ‘Eater hitters found their groove, the ball contact became much more precise. Still, Iowa didn’t let up the gas. The Hawkeyes scored two runs in the fifth and another three in the sixth. With a third of the game left, the Anteaters faced an almost insurmountable 10 run deficit, 2-12.
To their credit, the Irvine hitters fought valiantly. Sophomore second baseman Woody Hadeen led the charge with an electrifying RBI triple to start the scoring in the sixth. Following that, Hadeen patiently walked to end the scoring in the seventh.
Over three innings, Irvine plated a total of eight runs. As a result, the ninth ended with three quick outs, 10-12 Iowa.
Overall, the Anteaters simply lacked the situational play that the Hawkeyes possesed. The Irvine hits were not opportune, leaving too many men stranded on base.
Despite having more at-bats and hits than Iowa, Irvine couldn’t plate as many runs. Even with their acrobatic plays and less overall errors, their defense proved more porous.
This loss can be chalked up to bad luck. Still, the ‘Eater must learn to utilize their drive and will. Irvine will have another chance to prove their will to win on Saturday, March 19th when they face off against UC Davis on ‘Eater turf.
Benjamin Hendricks is a Sports Staff Writer. He can be reached at bahendr1@uci.edu.