No. 15 UC Irvine Hosts San Diego; Travels to Sacramento Sate
March 8, 2010
‘EATERS HOST SAN DIEGO, TRAVEL TO SACRAMENTO STATE: UC Irvine (6-5 overall), host San Diego Tuesday (Mar. 9) and then travels to take on the Hornets of Sacramento State this weekend (Mar. 12-14). First pitch against the Toreros is 6:00 p.m. and the weekend series will be a string of matinees with Friday’s game beginning at 2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s contests are slated to begin at 1:00 p.m.
NECKE SETS DOWN SEASON-BEST IN SECOND START: Senior Kyle Necke (Walnut/HS), who will make the start against San Diego Tuesday, made his second career start against Pepperdine last week and gave UCI a solid five-inning effort. The right-hander struck out a season-high six batters and held the Waves to one run on four hits but was credited with a no-decision in the loss. Necke is currently 0-2 and has registered six strikeouts in seven innings and walked two.
CUSICK DRIVES IN CAREER-HIGH: Senior infielder Jeff Cusick (Mission Viejo/Santa Margarita HS) keyed UC Irvine to a series win, batting. 462 with two home runs and seven RBI. Cusick recorded a career-high six RBI Friday while going 3 for 5 with two runs scored in the Anteaters’ first win against Saint Mary’s. Cusick’s first home run in the fourth broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Anteaters a 6-3 lead against the Gaels. His second home run broke a 7-7 tie and staked the team to a 10-7 lead and the game-winning run in an eventual 11-9 win. In the second game of the double header, Cusick went 2 for 2 with an RBI in the first inning in the team’s 12-8 win. He reached safely in his seventh straight game with a single in the series finale. Cusick is batting .395 and leads the team with 13 RBI.
ANTEATERS SET NEW GAME RECORD: Cusick hit two home runs in the first game against Saint Mary’s to become the first Anteater since 2007 to accomplish the feat. The last Anteater to go yard twice in a game was Taylor Holiday, who hit two home runs against UC Santa Barbara. Ryan Fisher (Manteca/East Union HS) and Sean Madigan (Yorba Linda/Servite HS) also hit home runs in the same game against the Gaels to set a new single-game record for the Anteaters. The previous record was a three home-run affair, last posted against UC Davis in 2009.
BIBONA STRIKES OUT SEASON HIGH: Senior Daniel Bibona (Lake Forest/Santa Margarita HS) struck out a season-best 11 batters in seven innings to lead UCI to a series win Friday. The All-American scattered just four hits while allowing two unearned runs to improve to 2-1. Bibona struck out at least one batter in five of the seven innings he pitched, including fanning the side in the sixth. Bibona leads the pitching staff with a 2.79 ERA and has recorded 23 strikeouts in 19.1 innings.
MADIGAN COMING UP CLUTCH: Junior Sean Madigan was second on the team with five runs batted in in four games last week. Madigan batted 7 for 17 (.412) with two doubles and a home run. The outfielder started off the week with a hit against Pepperdine and put UCI on the board with a solo home run in the third against Saint Mary’s Friday afternoon. Madigan then tied the game with an RBI single in the fourth. He then tied the game a second time in the UCI sixth, knotting the score at 7-7.
The outfielder kicked off game two against Saint Mary’s with a single in the first and scored the team’s first run and added an RBI in the same inning before he would eventually give way to the Anteater bench in the fifth. Saturday, Madigan drove in his third game-tying run of the series with an RBI double to left. He doubled twice and finished the day 2 for 5. Madigan is second on the team with a .464 average and 10 RBI. He is tied for first with four doubles and tied for second with 13 hits.
BROCK SOLID: Freshman Evan Brock (Chino Hills/Ayala HS) gave the Anteaters another strong performance in relief after dealing four innings against Saint Mary’s Friday. The right-hander struck out two and walked two while holding the Gaels to two runs on three hits in four innings and earned his second win of the season. Brock sports a 2.89 ERA and has struck out nine in 9.1 innings of work. He has allowed three earned runs and is holding opponents to a .167 batting average.
PETTIS GETS SAVE, PITCHES CAREER-HIGH: Eric Pettis (West Hills/El Camino Real HS) proved he could fulfill both roles as a starter and a closer for the Anteaters this weekend. The All-American closer locked up his first save Friday. Picking up for the Anteater bullpen, Pettis entered the game with a runner on with no outs and a two-run lead. The right-hander retired three straight, including striking out the final two batters to preserve the win. Pettis then made the start the next day and hurled a career-high eight innings and recorded a season-high five strikeouts while holding Saint Mary’s to one run on seven hits. Pettis threw a personal-high 125 pitches but did not figure in the decision after Saint Mary’s tied the game in the ninth. Pettis is 1-0 with a 3.32 ERA and has fanned 15 in 21.2 innings. He has allowed eight runs on 23 hits in three appearances.
LEYLAND LEADS ‘EATERS WITH WEEK’S TOP AVERAGE: Sophomore Jordan Leyland (San Dimas/HS) posted a .538 average in four games last week to lead the Anteaters, who hit .307 as a team. Leyland was 2 for 3 with a double against Pepperdine and then was held hitless in the first game against Saint Mary’s. However, the infielder rebounded with a 3 for 3, two-RBI performance in game two before going 2 for 4 with a run scored in the series finale. Leyland is hitting a team-high .474 with nine hits and two RBI.
FISHER OFF TO HOT START: Junior Ryan Fisher (Manteca/East Union HS) is also among the team leaders in the early season. Fisher, batting .414, is fourth on the team with 12 hits and third with seven RBI. He is tied for first with two home runs and blasted a solo shot to cut a Gael lead to 3-2 Friday in the series opener. In four games last week, Fisher batted .400 with four hits, including a double and a home run.
ANTEATERS BLANKED FOR FIRST TIME SINCE ‘06: UCI suffered its first shutout since a 2-0 loss at Tulane in 2006 after being blanked by the Waves 6-0 last Tuesday. UCI put the lead runner on in the first three innings but came up empty. Necke held the Waves to a lone run but Pepperdine broke the game open with two runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
‘EATERS STRIKE EARLY: The Anteaters have favored scoring early this season, posting 18 runs in the first inning. The second-highest number of runs scored is the third with the ‘Eaters putting up 15 runs.
SENIOR ROTATION TAKES ON SAC STATE: UCI’s senior trio will take on the Hornets this weekend.
Bibona is slated to open the series Friday. The All-American lefty is 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA and climbed to 2-1 after an 11-strikeout performance against Saint Mary’s.
Christian Bergman (Altadena/St. Francis HS) suffered a tough start, giving up seven runs in four innings while striking out just one but came away with a no-decision thanks to the Anteater offense. Bergman looks for his first win this Saturday and has struck out eight in 14.1 innings. The right-hander has walked three while giving up 26 hits.
Pettis is expected to close out the series Sunday. The right-hander made two appearances, making a save Friday. He then returned and pitched a career-high eight innings while holding the Gaels to one run on seven hits but also came away with a no-decision after SMC tied the game in the ninth. Pettis is 1-0 with a 3.32 ERA and has logged the most innings this season with 21.2. He has struck out 15 and walked just four while giving up eight earned runs.
SHAEFFER SHAKES OFF LULL: Ronnie Shaeffer (Garden Grove/Pacifica HS) rebounded from a 1 for 12 lull at the Coastal Carolina Tournament by batting .429 in the series against Saint Mary’s. The sophomore standout went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored in the second win against Saint Mary’s and then added a 1 for 3 outing in the series finale Saturday. Shaeffer is hitting .276 with eight hits and four RBI on the season.
HERNANDEZ COOL UNDER PRESSURE: Junior Brian Hernandez (Sylmar/College of the Canyons) has delivered in clutch situations for the Anteaters thus far this season. In bases-loaded opportunities, Hernandez hasn’t missed, going 3 for 3, and with runners in scoring position, the infielder is batting .308. He is also 2 for 2 with runners on third and less than two outs for the Anteaters. On the season, Hernandez is hitting .333 with 11 hits and six RBI.
ABOUT SAN DIEGO: The Toreros are 4-6 overall after losing to then-No. 18 Cal State Fullerton and No. 23 Kentucky over the weekend. USD, which is playing a double-header today against Monmouth, is led by James Meador, who is hitting .389 with a team-best 14 hits and 11 RBI. Meador also has four stolen bases and has struck out just once in 36 at bats.
The Toreros are hitting .275 as a team while the pitching staff holds a 5.32 ERA.
THE SERIES: UCI holds a 44-41-1 edge over San Diego but the Anteaters have lost five of the last six match-ups against USD. UCI met San Diego twice in 2009 with the Anteaters dropping both games.
INTO THE HORNETS’ NEST: Sacramento State is 4-5 overall after losing two of three games against UC Davis last weekend.
The Hornets are led by Brent Hottman, who is hitting .440 with 11 hits. The team’s RBI leader is Josh Powers, who boasts 13 RBI and a team-best 14 hits while hitting .359. Powers also tops the team with three home runs and is tied for first with three doubles.
POSSIBLE ROTATION: Right-hander Jesse Darrah made the start against the Aggies last week to open the series and pitched 6.2 innings, giving up five earned runs on eight hits to fall to 0-2 on the season.
Right-hander Brandon Sandoval fell to 1-2 after lasting 3.1 innings and allowing six earned runs on nine hits and walking two.
Lefty Jose Ramirez gave up three earned runs on 4.1 innings and walked four but did not figure in the decision after scored the game-winning run in the ninth.
THE SERIES: UCI holds a 10-6 record against Sacramento State. The two teams last met in 2006 with the Anteaters capturing the series by winning two of three games.
INJURY REPORT: Sophomore shortstop D.J. Crumlich (Irvine/HS) will be out of the lineup temporarily after suffering a concussion during practice last week.
WEEKEND WRAPUP: UC Irvine was shut out by Pepperdine, 6-0 Tuesday. The Anteaters put runners on to lead off the first three innings but came up empty. The team was held to just six hits in the loss.
Against Saint Mary’s the Gaels took an early 3-0 lead but the Anteater offense responded with a solo home run in the third and six runs in the fourth. The Gaels tied the game in the fifth with a four-run frame but the Anteaters tacked on four in the sixth and one in the seventh for the 11-9 win.
In the second game of the double-header, UCI chased Gael starter Kyle Barraclough from the game, bringing 13 batters to the plate in the first inning and scoring nine runs. UCI scored single runs in the fourth, fifth and eighth innings and then withstood an SMC six-run ninth to win 12-8.
In the final game of the series, UCI’s offense was quiet, managing just two runs on nine hits. The Anteaters held a 2-1 run lead until the Gaels scored once in the ninth and won it in the 10th with a two-run home run to avoid the sweep.
