College baseball: UCI drops finale

ANTEATER BALLPARK - A third-inning miscue on the base paths that

negated a would-be grand slam for the UC Irvine baseball team Sunday

turned out to be an omen as visiting UC Santa Barbara claimed a 17-6 Big

West Conference victory.

The Gauchos (15-19, 2-4 in conference) averted a sweep in the

three-game series by scoring 11 runs in the final four innings to

overwhelm the Anteaters (21-16, 4-2).

Ironically, the trouble for the hosts began after freshman designated

hitter R.J. Brown launched a ball over the fence with the bases loaded.

Brown, however, was called out after passing teammate Jaime Martinez on

the base paths, erasing his homer and forcing the Anteaters to settle for

three runs on the play.

The play still gave UCI a 5-4 lead, but UCSB rallied for two runs in

the fourth, withstood a rally that drew the Anteaters to within one, then

pulled away with some late-inning production.

The Gauchos scored four in the sixth, three in the seventh and four

more in the eighth, matching their run total with 17 hits.

UCSB right fielder Ryan Spilborghs went 3 for 6 and drove in six runs

for the winners, who accounted for seven of the game’s 10 extra-base

hits.

UCI junior center fielder Jon Horwitz had two doubles and scored

twice, extending his hitting streak to 15 games with a 4-for-5

performance. He is now hitting a team-leading .379.

Junior right fielder Chris Klemm ( 2 for 4 with an RBI) was the only

other Anteater with more than one hit, while Brown finished with four

RBIs.

UCI starting pitcher Paul French was knocked out in the fourth inning

after surrendering eight hits and five earned runs. But Glen Swanson, the

third of UCI’s five pitchers, absorbed the loss to drop to 6-2.

James Garcia earned only his second victory in five pitching

decisions, helped by leadoff man Blair Havens’ five hits in six at-bats,

including a home run.

Havens scored three times and added two RBIs, while teammates Josh

McCanne (three RBIs) and Andy Campanella (two RBIs) each had a pair of

hits for the winners.

UCI visits Washington for a two-game nonconference series beginning

Tuesday night.

BIG WEST CONFERENCE

UC Santa Barbara 17, UCI 6

UC Santa Barbara 004 204 340 - 17 17 1

UC Irvine 203 100 000 - 6 10 3

Garcia, Posthumua (7), Moran (9) and Rodriguez; French, Koller (4),

Swanson (6), Alstot (7), Tripoli (8) and Miller. W - Garcia, 2-3. L -

Swanson, 6-2. 2B - Sutton (UCSB), Spilborghs (UCSB) 2, Malec (UCSB),

McCanne (UCSB), Horwitz (UCI) 2, Amara (UCI). 3B - Campanella (UCSB). HR

- Havens (UCSB).