‘Eaters’ rally is wasted

IRVINE — Almost famous. A forgotten legend. The ultimate victim of diamond circumstance. Such is the lot of UC Irvine junior Brock Bardeen.

For the second time in 18 days, the left-handed-hitting slugger lashed what, by all rights, figured to be a monumental blow in the lore of Anteaters’ baseball comebacks. But, just as had happened after he connected for a two-run, pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning on April 23 at Kansas State, Bardeen’s heroics in Sunday’s Big West Conference clash with visiting Pacific, proved, in the end, fruitless.

Bardeen launched a double into the left-center-field gap to drive in three runs and cap a five-run comeback with two outs in the ninth to erase a deficit that once was 8-0 against the Tigers.

But, just as Kansas State scored two in the 11th inning to prevail, 9-7, in the aforementioned nonconference date, Pacific answered UCI’s seemingly storybook ninth with a single tally in the 10th to send the ’Eaters and their roller-coaster-riding fans home with a hallow memory that Bardeen’s heroics might otherwise have owned.

The loss dropped No. 13-ranked UCI to 32-13, 9-8 in conference, no better than fifth place, pending Saturday night games. It also evened the three-game series at two games apiece, heading into today’s finale at 1 p.m.

“Of course, I loved the effort,” said UCI Coach Mike Gillespie, whose team scored four in the seventh to cut its deficit in half, then held off what appeared inevitable with one out remaining and no runners on in the ninth. “I actually would have called it fun, had there been a different outcome.”

Francis Larson’s solo home run began the ninth-inning comeback, and Dillon Bell followed with a single. After Jeff Cusick worked a walk, Casey Stevenson drove in Bell with a single to right. Josh Tavelli then beat out a grounder down the third-base line, loading the bases for Bardeen.

Bardeen, who had entered the game as a pinch-hitter and walked in the seventh, had grounded to second in a scoreless eighth.

But the 6-foot-2, 215-pound reserve got all of Pacific reliever Thomas Berolzheimer’s offering, which one-hopped the wall in left-center, allowing all three baserunners to score as those in the UCI dugout and most of the 383 in attendance howled their approval.

Berolzheimer intentionally walked Ollie Linton and Ryan Fisher, who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the eighth, bounced out to the first baseman to end the onslaught.

UCI sophomore closer Eric Pettis, who ironically gave up the game-losing two-run homer in the aforementioned Kansas State game for the first loss of his career, started the 10th by fanning the first two Tigers’ hitters.

But after going ahead, 0-2 on leadoff hitter Joe Oliveira, Pettis issued a walk that would prove costly. Oliveira stole second and came around to score on senior Adam Ching’s line single to right.

Bell, playing right field for UCI, charged Ching’s single and appeared to have time to throw out Oliveira at the plate. But the speedy catcher managed to beat the throw to the plate, sliding past catcher Larson as he fielded the throw on a hop and tried to turn to make the tag.

Larson, who was three for four with two RBIs, doubled with one out in the UCI 10th, but remained there as Dillon Bell and pinch-hitter Tony Asaro popped out to help UOP improve to 11-36, 3-17.

Bell was four for six with one RBI, while Stevenson, who homered to spark a four-run seventh, was three for four with two RBIs and two runs.

Tavelli also had two hits to aid the ’Eaters’ 15-hit attack.

UOP touched UCI starter Bryce Stowell for eight runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings. Stowell, whose earned-run average climbed from 2.12 to 3.57, allowed five hits and six runs in the first two innings to put the hosts in a hole.

“It’s gratifying to have come back, but we don’t think of ourselves as a team that can come back from a deficit like that,” Gillespie said. “So it was a bad deal to get that far behind.”

Big West Conference

Pacific 10, UC Irvine 9 (10 innings)

SCORE BY INNINGS

McCain, Akins (7), Berolzheimer (9), Rowse (10) and Oliveira; Stowell, Lopez (7), Hathcock (9), Pettis (10) and Lowenstein, Larson (6). W – Berolzheimer, 1-2. L – Pettis, 3-2. Sv – Rowse. 2B – Oliveira (UOP), Walker (UOP), Longmire (UOP), Manning (UOP), Larson (UCI), Bardeen (UCI). HR – Longmire (UOP), Stevenson (UCI), Larson (UCI).

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].