May 24, 2009

Box Score

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. --- No. 1 UC Irvine posted a 15-3 win over UC Santa Barbara Sunday at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium to win the series and conclude the regular season 43-13 overall and 22-2 (.917) in the Big West. The Anteaters become just the second program in conference history to record just two losses with Cal State Fullerton recording a 19-2 (.905) mark in 2004. Fresno State went 20-1 (.952) in 1988.

Senior shortstop Ben Orloff recorded a career-high four RBI and went 3 for 6 at the plate, becoming UC Irvine's all-time career hit leader. Orloff surpassed Mike Nagle's four-year (1978-81) total of 272 and currently has amassed 274 hits. Jordan Fox had a career-high three hits, batting 3 for 4 with three runs scored while Dillon Bell also had a season-high with three hits and drove in two. Ronnie Shaeffer and Maverick Oliveras each drove in two runs for the Anteaters while Casey Stevenson and Jeff Cusick had two hits each.

Starter Crosby Slaught, in a pre-determined start, held UCSB (29-23, 11-13) to two runs on three hits and struck out three to improve to 7-0. Kyle Necke yielded a run on three hits in three innings of relief and Brock Bardeen added 1.1 hitless innings. Noel Avison and Eric Pettis combined for the final 1.2 shutout innings to close out the game.

The Anteaters struck early, scoring three runs in the second and third for a 6-0 lead. Fox scored the team's first run from third on a groundout to the pitcher. Eric Deragisch drove in Bell with a hard hit that glanced off Zach Samuels' glove for an infield single and Stevenson doubled in Deragisch for a 3-0 lead.

UC Santa Barbara got on the board in the bottom of the inning with a two-run home run by Ryan Cavan to trim the lead to four.

UCI responded in the top of the fourth as Cusick laced a two-out double past the third base bag to drive in Stevenson, who had been hit by the pitch and advanced to second on a groundout. DJ Crumlich followed with a single to center to drive in Cusick to increase the lead to 8-2.

The Anteaters took a 15-3 lead in the eighth with Shaeffer sparking the rally with a two-run single up the middle and was followed by Tony Asaro's RBI hit. Bell continued the seven-run frame with a double to right and Orloff followed with a run-scoring single. Maverick Olivares jumped on the first pitch from Matthew Brady for a double to right-center, scoring Bell and Orloff.

Gaucho started Zachary Samuels gave up eight runs on nine hits in four innings to fall to 3-3. UCSB was led by Cavan, who had two RBI on two hits.

UC Irvine will host its first regional May 29 through June 1. Regional pairings will be announced Monday at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN.