Cavaliers end Anteaters’ season

IRVINE — As its revered senior shortstop, Ben Orloff, said when it had ended, the top-ranked UC Irvine baseball team “emptied the tank” in the first home regional in the program’s suddenly storied history.

But it was No. 7–ranked Virginia that just kept pouring it on.

The Cavaliers opened the four-team regional by beating what many consider the best pitcher in the history of the college game, San Diego State’s future multi-millionaire Stephen Strasburg.

All they did next was twice outduel the Anteaters (45-15), who, for the first time in three seasons, will be watching from the sidelines in June.

A 4-1 Cavaliers’ victory Sunday night, before 1,500 at Anteater Ballpark, proved to be last call this season for UCI and its fans, who have come to expect extended postseason performance.

And this one was no fluke.

Virginia (46-12-1), the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament champion, which extended its winning streak to eight, merely pitched better, played better defense and hit better than the rest of a field that comprised what was generally considered to be the toughest of the 16 NCAA Regionals.

“This was a very, very good college baseball game,” UCI Coach Mike Gillespie said of the finale. “There was very little margin for error and I don’t remember Virginia making any.”

The team known colloquially as the Wahoos, left West Coast fans wondering “Who are those guys?” after displaying a level of play that no team could match over the weekend.

“It’s not going to get any tougher than this,” Virginia Coach Brian O’Connor said, when asked about the potential Super Regional matchup against either Mississippi or Western Kentucky. “We beat the No. 1 team in America two times and the greatest pitcher, from what I read all the time, in college history. I can tell you that [Strasburg, who struck out 15 in a 5-1 opening-game loss to the Cavs, his only loss all season] is the best I’ve seen, in my playing days and coaching days. That is an unbelievable accomplishment for this team. We’re going to carry that with us for a day and move on.”

UCI moved on from the afternoon elimination game with a 14-3 trouncing of San Diego State.

And the ’Eaters got quality pitching performances from senior starter Noel Avison (one run in 4 2/3 innings, the latter a career-long outing) and junior Kyle Necke (two runs on two hits in four innings) to keep it a one-run game into the ninth against Virginia.

“We’re extraordinarily proud of our guys and how they competed and how they played,” Gillespie said. “And hats off to Virginia. That’s a really, really, really good team that played really, really well and we’re very impressed with them.”

Among the most impressive were senior starting pitcher Andrew Carraway and junior catcher Marco Valdes.

Carraway allowed just four hits and one run in seven innings to improve to 7-1.

Valdes doubled in the first run of the game, then tripled off the first-base bag to push across the run that broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth.

Valdes was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Regional.

UCI, which was hitless until one out in the fourth, parlayed singles by Casey Stevenson and Jeff Cusick into the equalizer.

But despite putting its leadoff man aboard in the third, sixth and seventh innings, the ’Eaters, who were blanked (5-0) by Virginia for the first time in 109 games Saturday night, could not produce any more runs.

Orloff singled to open the sixth. Stevenson, who went eight for 15 in the regional and is 15 for 24 in regional play the last two seasons, was hit by a pitch one out later. A double steal put both in scoring position.

But after an inspirational Valdes visit to the mound, Carraway struck out freshman designated hitter Ronnie Shaeffer. Cusick, who was four for five against San Diego State, then grounded out to shortstop to end the threat.

Junior catcher Francis Larson singled to open the seventh, but Carraway made a fine defensive play to nail him at second on a subsequent comebacker off the bat of Dillon Bell.

Bell wound up stranded at second, one of five runners left on by the Anteaters.

Sophomore closer Kevin Arico worked two perfect innings to record his 11th save and trigger a dog pile in the center of the diamond.

The ’Eaters, meanwhile, piled out of their clubhouse, some for the final time.

Orloff, the Big West Conference Player of the Year who, like a handful of UCI players, figures to be selected in the June 9 Major League draft, was among those who will never again wear the UCI uniform.

“It’s disappointing to see it end like that, but we fought and battled all day,” said Orloff, the school’s career leader in games played (241), hits (280) and runs (178).

“God blessed me so much to play for these coaches and with my teammates in this program. It has been awesome. I can’t say enough about what UCI means to me and how grateful I am for the opportunity to have played here the last four years.”

Orloff (six for 17 in the regional), a third-team All-American, was joined on the All-Regional team by teammates Stevenson, senior Eric Deragisch (four for 15), junior first-team All-American pitcher Danny Bibona and freshman outfielder Jordan Fox (three for 12).

NCAA Regional

Virginia 4, UC Irvine 1

SCORE BY INNINGS

Carraway, Arico (8) and Valdes; Avison, Necke (5), Pettis (9) and Larson. W – Carraway, 7-1. L – Necke, 1-4. Sv – Arico (11). 2B – Hicks (V), Valdes (V). 3B – Valdes (V), Parker (V), Cannon (V).