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Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UC Irvine showcases its power, eliminating Arizona State in NCAA baseball tournament
UC Irvine's Chase Call, shown here batting against Long Beach State in March, hit two home runs in an 11-6 win over Arizona State at the Los Angeles Regional of the NCAA baseball tournament Sunday. (Kyusung Gong / Associated Press) Under threat of elimination, UC Irvine's bats emerged once again. Bringing the power for a second straight game, the Anteaters connected for five home runs Sunday, eliminating Arizona State 11-6 in the Los Angeles Regional of the NCAA baseball tournament. Advertisement Needing to win four straight games to advance to the super regionals after losing to Arizona State on Friday, UC Irvine is halfway to its goal. Alonso Reyes — who had just one home run in 2025 entering Sunday's game — ripped a two-run home run off of Sun Devils starter Derek Schaefer in the fourth inning. Later in the inning, after Arizona State coach Willie Bloomquist went with Lucas Kelly out of the bullpen, Chase Call cleared the batter's eye in dead center field for a two-run home run to give the Anteaters a 6-1 lead. Read more: UC Irvine baseball fails to capitalize on chances in NCAA regional loss UC Irvine took a 7-2 lead in the sixth when Call launched a changeup over the heart of the plate from Sun Devils closer Cole Carlon beyond the left-field wall. Advertisement Call's two home runs weren't the only examples of the Anteaters' power at the plate. UC Irvine star center fielder Jacob McCombs connected for a no-doubt home run (423 feet, 106.5 mph) for the second straight day in the third inning, lifting the ball over The Jack and Rhodine Gifford Hitting Facility in right field. McCombs, an All-Big-West First Team honoree, leaned back in the batter's box after his home run, taking time to admire his go-ahead blast. Even when the Sun Devils threatened — scoring three in the sixth to make it a two-run game — James Castagnola replenished the lead with a two-run home run in the seventh. UC Irvine forced Carlon — who entered the game with a 2.73 earned-run average — from the game. He conceded a season-high five runs (four earned) across 1⅓ innings. Plenty is still up for grabs for the Anteaters, but it will now require more of the same offense — and taking down UCLA twice (once Sunday night and on Monday) to extend their season. Luckily for coach Ben Orloff, he preserved most of his pitching staff thanks to redshirt sophomore left-hander Ryder Brooks' start. Advertisement Read more: UC Irvine baseball coach Ben Orloff proving Mike Gillespie's prediction right The brother of former UCLA pitcher Jake Brooks made himself at home at Jackie Robinson Stadium, tossing 5⅓ innings of five-run ball, giving up six hits, walking four and striking out three with low-slot delivery. It was Brooks' longest start since a complete-game shutout of Hawaii on April 19. Orloff dipped into his bullpen for just two relief pitchers. Ricky Ojeda, the Big West Pitcher of the Year, tossed 1 ⅓ innings on 34 pitches. Over the last three days, Ojeda has thrown 74 pitches — and would be on just a few hours rest if he pitches Sunday night against UCLA. The Anteaters split their midweek season series against the Bruins earlier this year. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UC Irvine baseball fails to capitalize on chances in NCAA regional loss
UC Irvine starting pitcher Trevor Hansen, shown here delivering against Long Beach State in March, gave up six hits and three earned runs over 6⅓ innings in a 4-2 loss to Arizona State on Friday. (Kyusung Gong / Associated Press) Jacob McCombs had been arguably UC Irvine's best hitter all season. The sophomore transfer from San Diego State transformed into an all-Big West selection with his .350 batting average and team-high 1.070 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. So when he came up to the plate in the bottom of the fifth, down one run and against a taxed Arizona State southpaw in Ben Jacobs — McCombs provided a real chance to break open the game in favor of the second-seeded Anteaters with runners on first and second. Advertisement Coach Ben Orloff called for McCombs to bunt. A picture-perfect tap toward third base sent both runners into scoring position with one out — and the Irvine dugout into raucous cheers. When his team needed it, one of its stars stepped up. Read more: UC Irvine baseball coach Ben Orloff proving Mike Gillespie's prediction right It didn't matter to Jacobs. Facing the pressure, the former UCLA Bruin — pitching back at Jackie Robinson Stadium, where he played in 2023 — shut down Chase Call with a strikeout and forced Blake Penso — his former battery mate at Huntington high — to weakly fly out to right field on the 105th pitch of the lefty's night. McCombs' small-ball heroics were for naught. When Irvine's offense worked another opportunity to score in the bottom of the eighth after Penso placed down a sacrifice bunt, Alonso Reyes hit into a 4-6-3 double play with the bases loaded to end the rally. It was one of those nights for the Anteaters, at a time of year when it matters most, as UC Irvine fell 4-2 to third-seeded Arizona State in the Friday nightcap of the Los Angeles Regional. Advertisement UC Irvine moves to the loser's bracket where it'll face fourth-seed Fresno State at noon Saturday. To win the Los Angeles Regional, the Anteaters will have to win out — four games across Saturday, Sunday and Monday — if they want to reach the NCAA super regionals. While UC Irvine's offense could only produce one run and mustered just five hits, Trevor Hansen — their ace — tried his best to put the Anteaters on his back. Despite giving up solo home runs in the second inning to Jacob Tobias and Isaiah Jackson, the right-hander settled down to toss 6⅓ innings, giving up six hits and three earned runs while striking out eight and walking two. Hansen turned the ball over to Big West Pitcher of the Year Ricky Ojeda with runners on first and second in the seventh. Ojeda made quick work — inducing a ground out and a strikeout — to escape the inning. The lefty pitched through the ninth, giving up one run on 40 pitches overall, which could impact his availability in Saturday's win-or-go-home contest against the Bulldogs. Ojeda threw on back-to-back days just once in 2025, tossing 32 and 35 pitches against UC San Diego on May 3-4. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
