‘Eaters shut out 49ers

IRVINE — UC Irvine junior pitcher Wes Etheridge didn’t have his best stuff Saturday night against visiting Long Beach State.

“I thought I was average,” Etheridge said. “The defense bailed me out a few times, and they were swinging at balls that weren’t strikes.”

The Anteaters, however, will take an average performance any day, as long as Etheridge can keep lighting up zeroes on the scoreboard in Big West Conference play.

He pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, helping the Anteaters shut out the Dirtbags, 4-0, before 1,320 at Anteater Ballpark.

No. 24-ranked UCI (21-6-1, 2-0 in conference) clinched a series win against No. 18 Long Beach State (13-11, 0-2) for the first time since 2002. The Anteaters have won seven straight series, since dropping their opening against Cal.

Etheridge (8-0) scattered nine hits, but walked just one batter and recorded eight strikeouts, which tied a career high. He struck out at least one Long Beach State batter in each inning he threw.

“He probably wasn’t on his ‘A’ game tonight,” UCI Coach Dave Serrano said. “His command wasn’t as sharp as it usually is, but his ball still had a wiggle here and a wiggle there, which made it tough on them offensively. That’s what he does with that sinker that he throws, he neutralizes good hitters.”

The Anteaters, who enjoyed their fourth shutout win of the season, went ahead early. Taylor Holiday opened the bottom of the first with a hard-hit ball to second base, which Long Beach’s Matt Cline booted into center field for a two-base error.

After Ben Orloff sacrificed Holiday to third, Cody Cipriano’s sacrifice fly to right scored a run. Matt Morris followed with a triple, and was singled home by Bryan Petersen to up the ‘Eaters’ lead to 2-0.

Petersen was two for two and reached base four times for UCI. He said the team still remembers what it felt like when it was swept at Long Beach State last season.

“For us to get the series for right now, and hopefully the sweep [Sunday], it’s huge for us to do that,” Petersen said.

The Anteaters added runs in the third, when Orloff doubled and was singled home by Cipriano, and the fifth, when Cipriano drew a leadoff walk and was doubled home by Petersen.

Dylan Axelrod didn’t allow a hit in 2 1/3 innings in relief of Etheridge, striking out three.

Long Beach State southpaw Omar Arif (1-4) took the loss, despite allowing just one earned run. In the first two games of the series, Long Beach State has committed seven errors.

Serrano said he doesn’t know who he will start today, in the series finale at 1 p.m. But, after using just three pitchers in the first two games of the series, the Anteaters should have a deep bullpen as they attempt to sweep the Dirtbags.

“Each year, Long Beach State and Fullerton, that’s the Big West Conference right there,” Etheridge said. “To come in here and put ourselves on the national map, that’s huge.

“We knew we were good, we just didn’t know how good. Until you beat a team like Long Beach State, you really don’t know.”

Big West Conference

UC Irvine 4,

Long Beach State 0

Score by Innings

LB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 9 3

UCI 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 x - 4 9 2

Arif, Roberts (5), Lamontagne (8) and Masuda; Etheridge, Axelrod (7) and Lowenstein. W -- Etheridge, 8-0. L -- Arif, 1-4. 2B -- Godfrey (LB), Orloff (UCI), Petersen (UCI). 3B -- Morris (UCI).