The UC Irvine Baseball team (11-5, 2-1) fell victim to UCLA’s (13-4, 2-1) offensive firepower in an 11-4 loss at Jackie Robinson Stadium on March 11.
UCI looked to carry the momentum from its conference-opening series win against Long Beach State, in which it took the last two of a three-game series against the Dirtbags. Additionally, before Monday’s loss, the Anteaters had bested the Bruins in their last seven matchups dating back to 2022.
UC Irvine showed promise in the top of the first inning with a one-out double from junior shortstop Colin Yeaman. However, in what became a repeated theme, the Anteaters were unable to bring him home and left a runner stranded in scoring position.
Redshirt senior right hander Ryan Kysar started on the bump for Irvine but struggled in his only inning of the game. After recording a leadoff out, a single up the middle from UCLA sophomore shortstop Roch Cholowsky, followed by a home run to left field from sophomore first baseman Mulivai Levu, gave the Bruins a quick 2-0 lead. Control was an issue for Kysar, who issued two walks immediately after the homer. UCLA redshirt sophomore center fielder Payton Brennan opened the floodgates with a three-run moonshot to left center, making it 5-0.
In the bottom of the third, UCLA continued to capitalize on Irvine’s shaky pitching. UCI redshirt sophomore lefty pitcher Ryder Brooks, who entered for Kysar in the top of the second, walked the leadoff batter, who soon advanced to second on a passed ball. A bunt base hit from Brennan advanced the baserunner to third. Redshirt junior pitcher Danny Suarez replaced Brooks to try to get out of the jam, but a Brennan steal followed by a walk loaded the bases with only one out. An RBI groundout from UCLA redshirt senior right fielder AJ Salgado extended the lead, but Suarez limited the damage to just one run with a strikeout to end the inning at 6-0.
Self-inflicted mistakes from the Anteaters spelled doom in the bottom of the fifth. After recording two quick outs, UCI junior left-handed pitcher Jaxton Andeel — who replaced Suarez the previous inning — hit Salgado on a 1-1 count. A throwing error from Andeel advanced the runner to second, followed by a four-pitch walk. With runners on first and second and two outs, UCLA sophomore left fielder Dean West singled to make it 7-0.
UCI brought in redshirt senior right-handed pitcher David Utagawa to get out of the inning, but a lack of control led to a four-pitch walk to load the bases and another walk to make it 8-0 without a ball put in play. Sophomore third baseman Roman Martin singled to add two to the lead as UCLA cracked double digits, 10-0.
Irvine showed signs of life in the sixth after a leadoff hit-by-pitch and a single from redshirt junior catcher Zach Crandall put runners on first and second. However, two consecutive strikeouts narrowed the Anteaters’ window. Still, a single to left field from sophomore center fielder Jacob McCombs scored UCI’s first runs of the game, as the ‘Eaters trailed 10-2. Two consecutive walks made it 10-3.
It was too little, too late, as UCI failed to rally. The Bruins added an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth after an Anteater throwing error, but Irvine snatched the run back with an RBI single from sophomore pinch hitter/left fielder Landon Gaz. Still, it was a dominant performance from UCLA as the Anteaters fell 11-4.
UCLA redshirt junior left-handed pitcher Ian May was credited with the win despite freshman right-hander Wylan Moss getting the start. The Bruins’ pitching staff combined for 11 strikeouts compared to the Anteaters’ six.
McCombs and Gaz led UCI with two RBIs each, while UCLA’s Brennan and Levu were their own respective standouts, each hitting a bomb in the first inning and finishing the game tied with a game-high three RBI’s.
The Anteaters swept CSUN (2-14, 0-6) in a three game series on March 15 and 16 in their second conference series. Their next few games sees the ‘Eaters against UC Santa Barbara at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium for a three game series from March 21-23.
Jordan Hum is a Sports Staff Writer. He can be reached at jrhum@uci.edu.
Edited by Benjamin Flores and Jaheem Conley