UC Irvine Baseball Completes Sweep With 11-Inning, 6-5 Victory

Sunday, April 29

Irvine, CA

1:00 PM

University of California, Riverside

UC Irvine

Photo by: UCR Athletics Media Relations

UC Irvine Baseball Completes Sweep With 11-Inning, 6-5 Victory

4/29/2012 8:22:00 AM | Baseball

Irvine, CA—The UC Riverside Baseball Team scored three runs in the top of the seventh, and had the bases loaded in the top of the ninth, but it was UC Irvine scoring with one out in the bottom of the 11th to compete the sweep of the Highlanders with a 6-5 victory.

UCR (14-23, 4-8) trailed 5-2 heading into the top of the seventh managing just three hits up to that point off of 'Eaters starter Philip Ferragamo, but after Phil Holinsworth singled through the left side, and Feragamo plunked Nick Vilter, Mitch Merten came on in relief.

After striking out Bart Steponovich for the second out of the inning, Merten issued a walk to Eddie Young to load the bases and Boudreau cleared them with a double to right center.

Mark Garcia took over for UC Riverside starter Trevor Frank to start the bottom of the seventh, pitching a scoreless seventh and eighth, and in the top of the ninth, the Highlanders put runners on first and second with two outs. That brought Vince Gonzalez and his .400-plus batting average in conference play to the plate, and UC Irvine (23-17, 8-7) wanted none of him intentionally walking him for the second time on the day. David Andriese was unable to bring the go-ahead run home, however, as he grounded out to first to end the UCR threat.

Garcia pitched a scoreless ninth and tenth for the Highlanders, but in the bottom of the 11th, his defense let him down. After recording the first out on a fly ball to center, Garcia fielded a bunt by Christian Ramirez and turned to fire to first, but neither first baseman Boudreau or second baseman Alex Rubanowitz was covering the bag, and the winning run was on base with an infield single.

Jerry McClanahan then singled to right putting runners on the corners and ending Garcia's night. Ben Doucette got the call from the pen to face pinch hitter Chris Rabago and Rabago ripped a 2-1 offering up the middle for the win and the sweep.

Race Parmenter got the victory pitching two scoreless innings in relief for the Anteaters, and Garcia took the loss despite allowing just five hits in four-and-one-third innings of work.

Trevor Frank got the start for UC Riverside in search of his second consecutive victory, and he allowed just one hit through the first two innings, but in the third his throwing error on a sacrifice bunt helped UC Irvine score a pair of runs to go up 2-0.

The Highlanders got both runs back in the top of the fourth, however, as Boudreau began the inning with a single to left, Gonzalez brought him home with a double to right, and Andriese tied the game up with a double to left.

UC Irvine struck back quickly though as in the bottom of the fourth, Ramirez reached on a one-out single, and McClanahan drilled a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left field to make it 4-2 Anteaters. UCI took a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth on a McClanahan RBI single which scored Jeff Stephens

The Highlanders remain on the road this Tuesday and Wednesday for a two-game series at UNLV. Tuesday's first pitch is slated for 6 pm PT, wth Wednesday's game starting at 3 pm.