COLLEGE ROUNDUP:Etheridge tames Lobos in 8-1 win

IRVINE — UC Irvine starter Wes Etheridge struck out a career-high eight batters and limited New Mexico to a run on six hits as the Anteaters defeated the Lobos 8-1 in a nonconference game Saturday at Anteater Ballpark.

UC Irvine won its sixth straight game to improve to 18-5-1. The Anteaters also won their sixth straight series of the season.

Etheridge, undefeated at 7-0 thus far, worked eight innings and gave up one run. The right-hander lowered his ERA to 1.44 and has yielded just eight runs in 50 innings.

“Etheridge did what he does. He tricks them and throws three pitches for strikes,” UC Irvine Coach Dave Serrano said. “He kept them off balance all night and gave us a chance to win the game.”

UCI’s offense totaled 12 hits with eight of the nine starters getting at least one hit. Outfielder Bryan Petersen led the way. He was two for three with two RBIs, while first baseman Zach Robinson, designated hitter Sean Madigan and catcher Aaron Lowenstein added two hits apiece.

“Our offense is doing a good job,” Serrano said. “We’ve switched up the lineup and Jeff Cusick and Tony Asaro [versus the left-handed pitchers] and Zach Robinson and Jeff Cusick [versus the right-handers] have done well. It’s been an overall good team effort.”

Shortstop Ben Orloff plated UC Irvine’s first run in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice bunt from Petersen and Cody Cipriano followed, scoring on a wild pitch from starter Stephen Smith.

The Anteaters added two runs in the second, capitalizing on two Lobo miscues and took a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single from third baseman Tyler Vaughn.

The Lobos (10-14) got on the board in the fifth on catcher Drew McDonald’s RBI hit to score Derek Pilkington, who led off the inning with a double to right-centerfield.

However, the Anteaters answered with a run in the bottom of the frame on an RBI double from Robinson. Petersen hit a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh for his third home run of the season and Madigan capped the scoring with a single to bring in Matt Morris and complete the two-run seventh.

UCI freshman Christian Bergman struck out two in an inning of no-hit relief.

Smith dropped to 2-4 with the loss after giving up six runs (four earned) on nine hits and walking two. Pilkington led the Lobos, batting two for four with a run scored.

The series concludes today at noon at Anteater Ballpark.

Nonconference

UC Irvine 8, New Mexico 1

Score by Innings

UNM 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 3

UCI 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 0 x - 8 12 1

Smith, Escarcega (6), Watkins (8) and McDonald; Etheridge, Bergman (9) and Lowenstein. W -- Etheridge, 7-0. L -- Smith, 2-4. 2B -- Pilkington (UNM), Petersen (UCI), Robinson (UCI). HR -- Petersen (UCI).

BASEBALL

Cal Baptist 2, Vanguard 0Cal Baptist 7, Vanguard 6RIVERSIDE — Vanguard sophomore Luke Iverson and freshman Jason Machado both hit two home runs, but Cal Baptist’s Zachariah Aguirre hit a walk-off home run in the second game of Saturday’s Golden State Athletic Conference doubleheader sweep by the Lancers at Woodcrest High.

Machado was two for three with four RBIs in the game for Vanguard (12-8, 9-8 in conference), and Iverson, designated hitter Benjamin Linn and center fielder Tyson Leighton all had two hits for Vanguard. Iverson, Machado and first baseman Nick Vaughn all scored two runs.

In Game 1, pitcher Steve Goins fired a complete-game shutout for Cal Baptist (18-11, 8-10), giving up just one hit on Machado’s single in the fifth.

Vanguard plays host to Central Christian College on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. in a nonconference game.

Golden State Athletic Conference

Game 1

Cal Baptist 2, Vanguard 0

Score by Innings

VU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 1

CBU 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 X - 2 5 0

Carls and Hastings, Behrends; Goins and Lasley. W -- Goins, 3-3. L -- Carls, 1-3.

Game 2

Cal Baptist 7, Vanguard 6

Score by Innings

VU 1 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 - 6 10 3

CBU 1 0 2 1 2 0 0 1 - 7 11 0

Jones, Craddock (6) and Hastings; Newman, Daily (5), Ronquillo (6), Duke (8) and Lasley, Kelley. W -- Duke, 4-0. L -- Craddock, 1-3. 2B -- Monroe (CB), Gipe (CB). HR -- Iverson (VU) 2, Machado (VU) 2, Seuss (CB), Aguirre (CB).

MEN’S SWIMMING

NCAA ChampionshipsMINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Anteaters finished 25th with 32 points at the University of Minnesota on Saturday.

Junior Eddie Erazo finished 12th in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1 minute, 45.06 seconds in UC Irvine’s final event of the meet. Erazo tied his UCI record in the preliminaries with a time 1:44.52.

Senior Eric Reilly finished 49th in the 100 freestyle in 44.56. Senior Dan Simonsen took 32nd in the 200 breaststroke in 2:03.73.

UC Irvine’s 25th-place finish is the second highest finish for the Anteaters at the NCAA Division I Championships with a 23rd-place finish in 1990. UC Irvine finished with more points at the Championships than any other mid-major school in the country. The Anteater men won three NCAA Division II Championships in 1969, 1970 and 1971.

WOMEN’S WATER POLO

UC Irvine 9,UC Irvine 15, Bucknell 6NORTHRIDGE — Julia Fancher scored a match-high four goals to lead the No. 5-ranked Anteaters back from a 4-2 halftime deficit in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation victory over the Matadors Saturday at Cal State Northridge.

Cal State Northridge 6

Gianna Rossi scored two goals, the latter giving UC Irvine (3-4 in conference) a 6-5 lead in the fourth quarter. Fancher then scored three straight goals. Jackie Prine finished with two goals and goalie Lauren Machanis had eight saves.

Robyn Kaake and Trudy Chacellor scored three goals each to lead the Anteaters (13-6) to the nonconference win over Bucknell, also at Cal State Northridge. Prine, Kat Plummer and Nicole Flacco contributed two goals each. Kelsey Wilcox had five saves and Machanis had four.

UC Irvine will play host to UC Davis March 27 at noon.

Mountain Pacific

Sports Federation

UC Irvine 9,

Cal State Northridge 6

Score by Quarters

UCI 1 1 3 4 — 9

CSUN 2 2 1 1 — 6

UC Irvine -- Fancher 4, Prine 2, Rossi 2, Kaake 1. Saves -- Machanis 8.

Cal State Northridge -- Cruz 2, Curran 2, Brookes 1, Van Gorder 1. Saves -- Stapf 10.

NonconferenceUC Irvine 15, Bucknell 6

Score by Quarters

Bucknell 1 1 2 2 — 6

UCI 4 6 2 3 — 15

Bucknell -- Gins 2, Palencia 2, Jensen 1, Sullivan 1. Saves -- Carter 2.

UC Irvine -- Kaake 3, Chancellor 3, Plummer 2, Prine 2, Flacco 2, Lewis 1, Kiene 1, Brown 1. Saves -- Wilcox 5, Machanis 4.

CREW

Gonzaga def. Orange CoastSPOKANE, Wash. — The Pirates finished second in the varsity eight race in 6 minutes, 14 seconds, behind the Bulldogs, who came in a 5:59.5.

Orange Coast won the novice eight race in 6:01.4. The Pirates varsity eight also finished in 6:16.2 to win a separate eight race against a Gonzaga junior varsity eight and a Washington State crew.