April 7, 2009

Box Score

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --- Fifth-ranked UC Irvine was limited to three runs by four Bruin pitchers in an 8-3 loss to UCLA Tuesday at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The loss, the Anteaters' second straight, dropped UCI to 19-9 overall while UCLA climbed to 12-17.

Ben Orloff, Jeff Cusick and Jordan Leyland each had two hits to lead the team. Starter Cory Hamilton pitched 2.1 innings, striking out one and walking three while allowing three runs on five hits to fall to 0-2.

UC Irvine scored in the first inning for the sixth consecutive game, getting a run on an RBI hit from Ronnie Shaeffer to score Orloff and took a 2-0 lead in the second on a solo home run by Ryan Fisher, his third of the season.

The Bruins got on the board in the bottom of the second as Eddie Murray drew a bases-loaded walk. UCLA then took the lead in the third on a two-run home run by Cody Decker, his 10th of the season. Decker delivered again in the fourth with a run-scoring hit to give UCLA a 4-2 lead.

The Anteaters put runners on first and third on a pair of singles and shaved the lead to one at 4-3 on Cusick's sacrifice fly but UCLA tacked on a run in the fifth and scored twice in the seventh to take a 7-3 lead. A sacrifice fly by Murray in the eighth capped the scoring at 8-3.

Rob Rasmussen picked up the win for UCLA, holding UCI to a run on three hits while striking out three in three innings to improve to 2-2. Erik Goeddel and Gavin Brooks combined for a three shutout innings to close out the game.