thomas-mccaffrey-uci-bsb-2024-dodger-stadium-ucla-csubakersfield
Matt Brown
2
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 4-19, 1-5 Big West
3
Winner UC Irvine UCI 18-3, 5-1 Big West
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
4-19, 1-5 Big West
2
Final
3
UC Irvine UCI
18-3, 5-1 Big West
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 9 1
UC Irvine UCI 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 11 0

W: Utagawa, David (1-0) L: Grosjean, Gary (1-3)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Alex Roberts-Croteau

No. 19 'Eaters Walkoff in 12th for Sunday Sweep

IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine baseball managed a 12th-inning, walkoff victory off the bat of Thomas McCaffrey to take the win Sunday, 3-2, and weekend sweep of Cal State Bakersfield in Anteater Ballpark.
  • The Sunday game didn't start until 6:00 p.m. with the teams moving it to avoid the weather moving through the area earlier in the day.
  • Pitching was the story for 5 1/2 innings as starters Brandon Luu and Kellen O'Connor battled to a 0-0 score.
  • The 'Eaters took advantage of some defensive miscues to score first in the sixth inning as Anthony Martinez reached on an infield single and came around on an error on a grounder to third base for a 1-0 UCI lead
  • CSUB answered back in the top of the seventh with two singles and making the 'Eaters play defense putting down the successful squeeze to tie it, 1-1.
  • In the eighth inning, Thomas McCaffrey skied a ball to the right field wall and clipped the fielder's glove and put him on third with a triple. Later in the inning, Myles Smith pinch-hit and whacked a ball with a ton of spin by the second baseman for a single and an RBI to put UCI back up, 2-1
  • In the ninth inning, the 'Runners were quickly down to their last out after a pair of strikeouts, but managed a bloop double and then a single through the left side to tie things back up, 2-2, and send the game to extra innings.
  • Ricky Tibbett and CSUB's Gary Grosjean went toe-to-toe in the extra frames dialing up zeroes in the 10th and 11th innings.
  • Finally in the 12th inning, the Anteater bats broke through after Woody Hadeen's fifth time on base walking to lead things off. A sacrifice and intentional walk brought McCaffrey back up to punch his fourth hit of the night into right field scoring Hadeen for the winning run, 3-2
  • McCaffrey and Hadeen each had four-hit nights of UCI's 11 hits and came together on the game-winner
  • On the mound, David Utagawa earned his first Anteater win with a sooreless 12th inning. He relieved Nick Rincover who got two outs in his 2024 debut coming off a thumb injury.
  • Brandon Luu was spotless for a second straight start throwing shutout ball after a career high six innings, 88 pitches, and collecting five strikeouts
The weekend ends late into the night Sunday, but the 'Eaters stand at 18-3 on the season, and their 5-1 mark is good enough for first in the Big West.

This coming week begins Tuesday night with a short trip to LMU for a 6:00 p.m. first pitch before the long trip to Hawai'i for three games starting Thursday, March 28.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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