The UCI Men’s Baseball team (3-0) completed a three-game sweep of the Tulane University Green Wave (0-3) with a 1-0 victory at Anteater Ballpark on Sunday, Feb. 19.
UCI freshman pitcher Riley Kelly started the game for the Anteaters in his first collegiate appearance. Kelly rose to the challenge, striking out the first three hitters of the game with a low 90’s fastball and his signature 12-6 curveball.
UCI sophomore pitcher Cooper Robinson was next in line for the Anteaters. Robinson came in with a 70 pitch limit and was tasked with eating up a few innings to take a load off of UCI’s short-staffed bullpen. Robinson played his role to perfection, striking out the first batter he faced and stranding a runner on third to end the top of the second.
UCI managed to push across the only run of the game in the bottom of the second inning. UCI junior third baseman Jo Oyama followed a single by sophomore outfielder Myles Smith with a chopper of his own, this time to Tulane junior second baseman Chase Engelhard. Engelhard charged in to field the ball and tag Smith in an attempt to turn in an unassisted double play. However, Engelhard forgot to secure the ball, allowing it to roll all the way into center field. UCI junior outfielder Jacob Stinson stepped up to the box, scoring Smith with a sacrifice fly for the only runbatted-in of the game, putting UCI up 1-0.
Robinson returned to the mound for the top of the sixth, striking out the first batter he faced. After the strikeout UCI pitching coach Bibona called to the bullpen, bringing on UCI redshirt senior Michael Stanford. Robinson’s day was finished, compiling five strikeouts through four and a third innings on his way to securing the win.
Stanford was fresh off his two inning save in the previous game. Tulane junior catcher Brennan Lambert greeted Stanford with a rocket ground ball past Oyama at third. Stanford immediately bounced back, striking out the next batter he faced swinging at a splitter in the dirt. Another single put Stanford in an uncomfortable spot with runners at first and second. Again, Stanford reached into his bag of tricks, getting the next batter up to ground out on a splitter to end the inning.
Stanford ran back out to the mound for the top of the seventh. He secured a groundout to begin the frame and ended his outing on an emphatic strikeout that fired up the home dugout. UCI’s bullpen by committee then turned to redshirt junior pitcher Cameron Wheeler for an inning of work. Wheeler recorded the final out of the inning on a flyball to Stinson in right field. Wheeler returned for the top of the eighth inning in dominant fashion, striking out back-to-back batters looking.
UCI redshirt junior closing pitcher Jacob King relieved Wheeler with one out remaining in the eighth. UCI head coach Ben Orloff and Bibona were hoping for a four-out save from their trusted closing pitcher. Like he has so many times before, King delivered with his second save of the season and secured an opening weekend sweep as UCI held on to win 1-0.
Coming into the season, UCI’s pitching staff brought with them a lot of questions and a little doubt. All questions and doubts were all washed away when the final out was recorded. UCI’s pitchers recorded 41 total strikeouts and two shutouts over the weekend, establishing themselves as a force not only in the Big West Conference, but all of Division I baseball.
Zeke Bellino is a Sports Intern for the winter 2023 quarter. He can be reached at zbellino@uci.edu.