Anteaters sweep Dirtbags

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IRVINE — Through UC Irvine’s first 28 baseball games this season, freshman Tommy Reyes had three starts, 10 at-bats and three collegiate hits. A strained hamstring during the first at-bat of his March 14 start against Tulane wound up sidelining him for the rest of the day, and the next three weeks.

So, after getting healthy, Reyes had to wait for guys to play themselves out of the lineup before he would get another chance.

Thanks in part to Reyes, who had five hits in three starts against Big West Conference visitor Long Beach State, including going two for three with a run batted in in the Anteaters’ 9-5 sweep-clinching win Saturday at Anteater Ballpark, the rest of the Big West may now have to wait for UCI to play its way out of the program’s first regular-season conference crown.

The No. 5-ranked Anteaters improved to 22-9, 8-1 in conference with the win. And, after the first three of eight conference weekends, they have a three-game lead on a logjam of teams deadlocked in second place.

“I realize that to be 8-1 is not altogether common,” UCI Coach Mike Gillespie said. “And I think we should be pretty proud of being 8-1 against who we’re 8-1 against. These three teams [a sweep of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, winning two of three from then-No. 1-ranked Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State] are three of the teams in the mix for the [conference title].”

What’s more, UCI, despite winning, continues to provide Gillespie and his staff plenty of areas in which the Anteaters need work to improve.

“I’m still not liking that we didn’t win last Sunday [a 5-4 loss in 10 innings after having led, 4-1, after six],” Gillespie said. “But I think in all fairness, we were lucky to win [Thursday] and we were lucky to win the first night against Cal Poly. So I don’t think anyone is fooled by the fact that we’ve gotten away with some pretty shoddy play at times. And some of those things happened today. So, it’s not that we can’t get better; that’s for sure.”

Senior shortstop Ben Orloff, whom Gillespie credited as the primary catalyst for Saturday’s come-from-behind win, agreed with his coach’s assessment.

“The scary thing is, we know we could play better,” Orloff said. “We’re trying to get better every day, but it’s good right now to be playing pretty good and still winning.”

UCI was less than good in the base-running department Saturday, and sophomore starting pitcher Crosby Slaught gave up five runs, four earned, on six hits through six innings, though eventually improving to 3-0.

But Slaught finished with two scoreless innings and relievers Noel Avison and Kyle Necke, who earned his first save, combined for three scoreless relief frames to hand the 49ers (14-17, 2-4) their fifth straight loss.

The UCI bullpen, which had been shaky all season other than All-American junior closer Eric Pettis, posted 11 scoreless innings against the Dirtbags. Further, Avison, Necke, Pettis and Brock Bardeen combined to retire the final 20 hitters they faced.

“Holy cow,” Gillespie said when informed of the 11 scoreless innings. “I’m loving it. Avison and Bardeen really picked us up and for Necke to get those outs [the final four Saturday] was nice. Because those guys are going to have to pitch and they’ve got to do well.”

Reyes, who started at second base Thursday, then made the first outfield appearances of his life (starting in right field Friday and left field Saturday) anchored a bottom third of the order, including Cory Olson and DJ Crumlich, that went six for 10 and scored three runs Saturday.

Orloff, who became the school’s career runs leader (149) by scoring twice, went three for four and added his familiar intangibles, Gillespie said.

“Orloff had a huge impact on this game, with things I don’t think show up in the box score,” Gillespie said. “He was the man in this game.”

Junior catcher Francis Larson hit a manly two-run home run that gave UCI a 4-3 lead in the third inning, but UCI needed RBIs by Orloff and Eric Deragisch in the fourth to overcome a 5-4 deficit.

Orloff had five hits in the series, matching Reyes.

“Reyes had a huge weekend,” Gillespie said.

Big West Conference

UC Irvine 9, Long Beach State 5

SCORE BY INNINGS

Gagnon, Corrales (4), Carrillo (6), Born (7), Topp (8), Ruiz(8), McElroy (8) and Hill; Slaught, Avison (7), Necke (8) and Larson. W – Slaught, 3-0. L – Gagnon, 2-4. Sv – Necke (1). 2B – Tinoco (LB), Lohman (LB), Legg (LB), Shaeffer (UCI). 3B – Dennis (LB). HR – Larson (UCI).

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