UCI sweeps away Dirtbags

The UC Irvine baseball team continued its impressive season Sunday,

rallying for a 5-3 nonconference victory over visiting Long Beach

State before a season-high 1,498 at Anteater Ballpark.

Anteater junior left-hander Glenn Swanson struck out 10 in seven

innings to earn his fifth win in six decisions. Freshman Justin

Cassel pitched 1 1/3 scoreless relief innings, before handing it over

to freshman closer Blair Erickson, who recorded the final two outs to

extend his own school single-season record to 11 saves.

Senior second baseman Matt Anderson singled, doubled and tripled

to pace the hosts’ seven-hit attack against four 49er hurlers.

No. 19-ranked UCI (18-6-1) made a case to move up in the polls by

sweeping No. 7 Long Beach State to post the sixth series win in as

many opportunities for Coach John Savage’s Anteaters.

Trailing, 1-0, in the second, a two-our error allowed two UCI runs

to score.

Long Beach tied it in the fourth, but Fisher tripled in Gary

Dudrey, then scored on Matt Anderson’s sacrifice fly to give the

hosts the lead for good.

Sophomore first baseman Jaime Martinez padded the lead with a

leadoff home run in the sixth, which proved more than enough for

Swanson and the bullpen.

After the combined pitching effort, UCI’s team ERA is now 2.89 and

Savage’s staff has held opponents to a .258 batting average. UCI

hurlers have struck out 204 in 227 innings as they head into Tuesday

nonconference road game at UNLV.

Martinez went 2 for 3, while Dudrey and Erik Johnson also had hits

for the winners.

Fisher upped his season average to .330, tops among UCI regulars.

His 30 hits lead the team and he has 20 RBIs.

Johnson, a sophomore right fielder, has a team-leading 23 RBIs,

while Anderson, a sophomore third baseman, has driven in 19 to go

with his .298 average.

Junior left fielder Jordan Szabo is second among UCI regulars with

a .325 batting average.

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Nonconference

UCI 5, Long Beach State 3

Score by Innings

LB State 100 100 010 -- 3 8 2

UC Irvine 020 021 00x -- 5 7 0

Villalobos, Maiques (5), Andrade (7),

Jamison (8) and Cruz; Swanson, Cassel

(8), Erickson (9) and Werhun. W --

Swanson, 5-1. L -- Villalobos, 1-1. Sv --

Erickson (11). 2B -- Tulowitzki (LB) 2,

Cruz (LB), Fisher (UCI), Johnson (UCI).

3B -- Fisher (UCI). HR -- Martinez (UCI).

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