March 10, 2002
Irvine - UC Irvine scored a pair of runs in the first inning and never looked back in recording a 12-3 win over San Diego State at Anteater Ballpark Sunday afternoon. The loss ended the Aztecs' six-game win streak and dropped their record to 16-7. UCI, which salvaged the final contest of the three-game series after dropping the first two, improved to 13-12 on the year.
UCI opened its first inning with a bunt single by Jon Horwitz. One out later, catcher Chris Miller deposited a ball over the left field fence off SDSU starter Joe Carque to give the Anteaters a 2-0 lead. The lead ballooned to 7-0 in the third when Irvine struck for five runs. The big blow was a two-out bases-loaded triple by Jordan Szabo that scored the final three runs of the inning.
SDSU reliever Rob Harrand, who came on in the fourth, fared no better against the hot Anteater bats, allowing three runs on three hits, a walk and a balk in his first inning of work. At that point, UCI held a 10-0 lead and the game was effectively over. The 12 runs and 13 hits by the Anteaters on the day were the most by an Aztec opponent this season.
The San Diego State offense, meanwhile, was held in check all day by UCI starter Paul French, who picked up his second win of the year to improve to 2-3. French did not allow a hit until the sixth inning, a leadoff single by shortstop Taber Lee. He finished his seven innings of work with 10 strikeouts and gave up only five hits and one walk.
SDSU scored its first two runs in the fifth. After Lee's single, he was forced at second on a fielder's choice off the bat of Riley Barrett. Anthony Gwynn then hit a long fly ball that UCI center fielder Jon Horwitz lost in the sun. The play went for a triple to score Barrett, and Gwynn later came home on a fielder's choice by Carlo Cota.
After UCI got two runs back in the bottom of the sixth, the Aztecs also picked up a run in the seventh on an RBI single by Lee that brought Jon Stephens home from second base after he and Chad Corona had singled. Lee (three singles) and Chad Corona (two singles) accounted for five of the Aztecs' eight hits on the day.
Up next for the Aztecs is the 2002 Mountain West Conference opener against Air Force on Friday (March 15) at 6:00 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium. That game will be televised live in San Diego on Cox Channel Four and may also be heard on the Internet at www.goaztecs.com.
UC Irvine 12, San Diego State 3SDS 000 002 100 - 3 8 1UCI 205 302 00x - 12 15 1Carque, Harrand (4), Moat (7), Hartshorn (8) and Allen, Wilson (6), Perdue (8)French, Tripoli (8) and MillerW - French (2-3)L - Carque (3-1)Sv - NoneHR - UCI: Miller (1st-one on)Att. - 1092Time - 2:44