UCI Baseball (11-4, 2-1) went on a rampage in the last game of a three-game set against Long Beach State (6-9, 1-2), winning 10-1 on March 9 at Anteater Ballpark.
In the previous game, contributions from Irvine sophomore outfielder Jacob McCombs and junior first baseman/designated hitter Anthony Martinez led UCI to a close 8-6 win, a promising bounce back from its 10-8 loss on March 7. Entering their last game against Long Beach, Martinez was riding a scorching 5-for-9 stretch with four RBI’s.
Irvine sophomore right-handed pitcher Trevor Hansen took the mound for UCI exactly a week after his March 2 outing against Louisiana, when he threw 5 2/3 solid innings en route to a UCI win.
Long Beach graduate outfielder Kyle Ashworth singled to lead off the top of the first against Hansen and reached second with two outs for junior infielder Armando Briseno. An ambush single up the middle put the Beach up 1-0 before the ‘Eaters took their first swings.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Ka’imi Kahalekai took the mound for Long Beach and immediately put two runners on base for Martinez. Despite trying to pitch around him, Martinez took a 3-1 fastball deep to right field for a three-run home run that sent an early jolt into the Irvine crowd.
Early action from both sides set the tone for a possible high-scoring game, but Hansen had other plans. He walked the leadoff batter in the second before inducing a double play and left the inning unscathed while also tossing a scoreless third inning. Kahalekai matched him with a 1-2-3 bottom of the second and third, silencing Irvine’s offense for two quick innings. Then came the storm.
Hansen only got better as the game continued, striking out two in a dominant fourth inning while staying efficient with his pitch count, setting up UCI’s offense for its biggest inning of the game.
McCombs was plunked to start the bottom of the fourth, and junior outfielder/first baseman Rowan Felsch walked on a full count. Yanked fastballs, flat curveballs and two consecutive wild pitches put Kahalekai in a bases-loaded situation with one out, and he was quickly pulled from the game.
Long Beach sophomore right-handed pitcher Tyler Gebb entered for the second time in the series after recording a save on March 7. This time, he entered in the middle of a stressful fourth inning. Fortunately for UCI, Gebb had many of the same control issues. His first batter walked to force in a run, allowing redshirt senior infielder Will Bermudez to step into the box with the bases loaded. Bermudez scorched a fly ball to deep left field, which got high enough to get lost in the Irvine sun. Long Beach redshirt freshman outfielder Reid Montgomery did his best in left field to make the play, but the ball dropped, allowing another run to score.
Irvine junior outfielder Colin Yeaman took another bases-loaded at-bat for the Anteaters and ambushed Gebb with a first-pitch triple directly into the left-center gap. All three runners made it home on the standing triple as Yeaman pumped his fist toward the home dugout. Martinez came back up and singled on a cue-ball to third base that scored Yeaman from third.
Throughout this entire inning, Gebb remained in and took the brunt of the bruises for the team. UCI piled on six runs in the inning, extending its lead all the way to 9-1 heading into the fifth inning.
The entire Irvine dugout was ignited by the excruciating fourth inning, especially for Hansen, who struck out the side in the fifth with a slight uptick in fastball velocity. Meanwhile, the ‘Eaters offense took a backseat for the next two innings, remaining scoreless against Long Beach’s bullpen.
Trust from head coach Ben Orloff and a simply stellar pitching performance allowed Hansen to reach the seventh inning. He used his remaining energy to retire the side in order and record his ninth and final strikeout of the evening. Hansen recorded 104 pitches over seven innings of one-run ball, undeniably his best outing of the season and possibly of his collegiate career. He walked off the field to a well-deserved standing ovation.
Irvine’s final run came in the bottom of the seventh, when a two-out double from UCI redshirt sophomore infielder James Castagnola bounced off the center-field wall, setting the score at 10-1. A quick eighth inning sent the game straight into the ninth.
UCI senior right-handed pitcher David Butler entered in a non-save situation and shut things down, recording two strikeouts and sending Irvine fans home happy.
UCI faced UCLA on March 11 at Jackie Robinson Stadium in a highly anticipated matchup and lost 11-4. They will play a series against CSU Northridge beginning March 14.
Avery Rosas is a Sports Staff Writer. He can be reached at rosasaj1@uci.edu.
Edited by Benjamin Flores and Jaheem Conley.