The 24th-ranked UC Irvine baseball team scored five runs in the fourth inning and opened its season with a 10-5 victory over Nebraska in the MLB Desert Invitational on Friday afternoon at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Jacob McCombs had an RBI double in the first inning, then the Anteaters erupted with a pair of two-out, two-run singles from Will Bermudez and Chase Call in the fourth to open a 6-0 lead.
Nebraska answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, but UCI scored four more runs in the fifth, getting a three-run, two-out triple from Colin Yeaman for a 10-2 lead.
Danny Suarez set the tone for the pitching staff, allowing one hit with four strikeouts through the first three innings before he found trouble in the fourth. Ricky Ojeda shut down the threat and pitched into the eighth, allowing just two runs (one earned) with four strikeouts. Max Martin pitched the final two innings, allowing one run and striking out two.
“Good win. Opening day is always tough. We were able to score first and Suarez pitched well until the fourth, but he gave us a chance to stabilize things early,” UCI coach Ben Orloff said. “A lot of different offensive production from a lot of different guys, which is good to see. I really liked the bullpen. When we can play from ahead and turn it over to the guys we have in there, it’s a good winning formula for us. … We were able to stay away from the huge inning.”
UCI faces New Mexico on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. PT at Sloan Park in Mesa.
LONG BEACH POUNDS NORTHWESTERN
Long Beach State set a Dirtbags Era (since 1989) record for the most runs scored in a season opener with a 19-6 rout of Northwestern on Friday night at Blair Field. Long Beach collected 13 hits and 13 walks and erupted for nine runs in the fifth inning.
LBSU already had an 8-2 lead when it sent 12 batters to the plate in the bottom of the fifth, and Armando Briseno highlighted the rally with a grand slam.
Briseno finished 3 for 3 with five RBIs and four runs scored. Connor Stewart was 2 for 3 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Luke Taylor went 2 for 3 with four RBIs. Kyle Ashworth went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Dylan Lina was 2 for 3 with three runs scored.
LBSU’s 19 runs broke the previous program mark for an opener, set in a 15-1 rout of Loyola Marymount in 1992.
The series continues Saturday at 4 p.m.
FULLERTON PPD., DOUBLEHEADER SATURDAY
Due to unplayable field conditions because of the recent rains, Cal State Fullerton postponed its Friday night opener against Stanford and scheduled a doubleheader for Saturday at Goodwin Field.
The first game is scheduled for 2 p.m., field permitting, with the second game scheduled to start 45 minutes after the conclusion of game one (approximately 5 p.m.). The rest of the four-game series remains as scheduled with first pitch for Sunday and Monday set for 1 p.m.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( College baseball: UC Irvine, Long Beach State win openers, Cal State Fullerton postponed )
Also on site :
- Oscar Winner Stuns On The Red Carpet As The Cannes ‘Godmother’ — What The Prestigious Title Means
- Is Apple Pay Down? What We Know About the Widespread Outages
- NJ Transit workers go on strike after wage increase talks stall