UCI too much for Pacific

STOCKTON — The UC Irvine baseball team scored 11 runs in three innings as the top-ranked Anteaters recorded an 11-6 Big West Conference win over Pacific Friday at Klein Family Field.

Six Anteaters registered multiple-hit games, led by catcher Francis Larson, who was three for four with an RBI. Eric Deragisch, Jeff Cusick and Ronnie Shaeffer each had two hits and two RBIs apiece, while Casey Stevenson also drive in a pair of runs for UCI (35-11, 15-1 in conference). Ben Orloff and Cory Olson added two hits each in the win.

Starter Daniel Bibona rose to 9-1 on the mound, pitching eight innings and striking out seven while allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits. Kyle Necke allowed a run in in the ninth before Noel Avison retired the final batter of the game.

Pacific broke a scoreless tie in the third on an RBI double from J.B. Brown, but the Anteaters scored three in the fifth. Tommy Reyes led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Olson.

Orloff singled to push Reyes to third and Deragisch bounced a grounder to short to cut the lead to one. Cusick laced a double to left for an RBI hit and was followed by Larson who singled in a run for a 3-1 lead.

Later, Stevenson and Ryan Fisher belted back-to-back home runs to lead off the UCI sixth, tying the game at 5-5.

After Centanni recorded the first two outs of the inning, Orloff singled and stole second before Deragisch doubled the go-ahead run at 6-5. The Tigers then handed the ball off to reliever Jamie Niley, who hit the next three Anteaters to force in a run and Stevenson drew a bases-loaded, four-pitch walk to give the team an 8-5 advantage.

UCI put together another two-out rally in the seventh, adding a run on a wild pitch and getting run-scoring hits from Cusick and Shaeffer.

Big Wes Conference

UC Irvine 11, Pacific 6

SCORE BY INNINGS

Bibona, Necke (9), Avison (9) and Larson ; Centanni, Niley (6), Akins (6), Berolzheimer (8) and Wideman. W – Bibona, 9-1. L – Centanni, 4-5. 2B – Deragisch (UCI), Cusick (UCI), Larson (UCI); Brown (UOP), Wideman (UOP). HR – Stevenson (UCI), Fisher (UCI).