Rally levels ‘Eaters

Barry Faulkner

For the first time in three weeks, UC Irvine junior right-hander

Chris Nicoll did not match up with an All-American. And despite his

own display of All-American stuff through 8 1/3 innings against

host UC Riverside, it was the lone All-American in the Anteater

dugout who let him down in the final two innings of Friday’s 3-2 Big

West Conference baseball loss in 10 innings to host UC Riverside at

the Riverside Sports Complex.

After Nicoll, who outdueled Cal State Fullerton’s Ricky Romero

April 1, but was bested by Long Beach State ace Cesar Ramos April 8,

gave up a double that ticked off the glove of diving left fielder

Erik Johnson with one out in the ninth, UCI Coach Dave Serrano

summoned closer Blair Erickson, an All-American as a freshman last

spring, to close out the Highlanders.

But, after fanning the first man he faced for the second out in

the ninth, Erickson, who had allowed only two earned runs and eight

hits in 20 innings his first 15 appearances this spring, was touched

for a two-run home run by junior designated hitter Andrew Martinez to

tie the game.

It was Martinez’s first homer of the season and the first allowed

this year by Erickson.

Erickson then hit the leadoff man in the 10th, walked two after

catcher Mark Wagner fielded a foul pop on a bunt attempt, and

surrendered the game-winning sacrifice fly off the bat of sophomore

first baseman Nick Salotti.

Salotti, who extended his hitting streak to 15 with a first-inning

single, lifted a fly to moderately-shallow center field. Ollie Linton

had time to come in on the ball and create momentum toward the plate

for his throw. But his throw to shortstop Chad Lundahl was relayed to

the plate too late to make a play on catcher Jeff Dunbar.

The dramatic comeback gave Riverside (15-17) its first win in four

Big West games.

The loss dropped UCI to 16-16, 2-5 in conference, while also,

perhaps, dealing a powerful blow to the team’s collective psyche.

Nicoll struck out eight, did not walk a batter and allowed only

two Highlanders past first base. He threw 81 of his 115 pitches for

strikes and was supported by a nine-hit attack led, once again, by

Wagner.

Wagner, a junior who was 4 for 6 with two RBIs in Tuesday’s 15-2

nonconference triumph at San Diego State, went 3 for 5 Friday. He

scored the Anteaters’ first run after leading off the fourth with a

single, and drove in an important insurance run with a bases-loaded

single in the seventh.

Wagner, who leads the team in batting average (.360), hits (45)

and RBIs (21), also threw out a runner trying to steal second, on

strike-’em-out, throw-’em-out double play to end the sixth.

The Anteaters left the bases loaded in the sixth and seventh and

also stranded runners in scoring position in the first four innings.

Riverside junior starter Haley Winter helped keep his team in the

game in his first Friday start of the season. Winter, a 5-foot-9

right-hander, worked eight solid innings, before giving way to

freshman Adam Reifer.

Reifer pitched two perfect innings, striking out five, to make it

10 strikeouts for Anteater hitters Friday. He picked up the win, his

second in as many decisions this year.

Johnson opened the scoring by doubling in Wagner in the fourth.

Linton and Danny McCarthy singled with one out in the UCI seventh,

then advanced on a double steal. Matt Anderson walked to load the

bases and Wagner fought off an inside pitch for an RBI single and a

2-0 cushion.