CORVALLIS, Ore. — The UC Irvine baseball team saw its season come to an end on Monday when the Anteaters could not rally in their rain-delayed game against No. 15 national seed Oregon State.
Elijah Hainline hit a three-run home run to spark a five-run second inning on Sunday night and the Beavers extended their two-run fourth-inning lead when play resumed on Monday afternoon, pulling away to beat UCI, 11-6, and win the four-team Corvallis Regional.
Oregon State (45-14) had to wait a day to advance after the game was suspended Sunday night with the Beavers leading 6-4 in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Beavers will hit the road to take on No. 2 national seed Kentucky in the best-of-three Lexington Super Regional, beginning Friday or Saturday. The winner earns a trip to the eight-team College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Dub Gleed had a three-run home run to cap a four-run bottom of the first inning for the Anteaters (45-14) against Beavers starter Eric Segura.
Oregon State answered with a five-run second inning and never trailed again.
UCI starter Nick Rincover left after issuing a leadoff walk to begin the big inning. David Utagawa took the mound and walked Wilson Weber. Hainline homered to center field to drive in three. Traves Bazzana added a sacrifice fly and Gavin Turley drove in the fifth run with a two-out double.
Mason Guerra had an RBI single and Dallas Macias drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the fifth to put Oregon State ahead, 8-5.
Gleed hit a solo shot in the bottom of the inning for the Anteaters’ final run.
Micah McDowell drove in a run in the sixth with a two-out, bases-loaded infield single. Guerra hit a solo shot in the eighth and Macias hit the team’s 118th homer of the season – a two-run shot in the ninth.
Hainline, Guerra and Jabin Trosky bat 7-8-9 in the order, respectively. All three had two hits, combining for five RBIs and six runs scored.
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Reliever AJ Hutcheson (4-2) was tabbed for the win. He retired all four batters he faced, striking out one.
Utagawa (3-1) did not retire a batter in taking the loss. He gave up four runs on two hits and two walks.
Oregon State had previously beaten the Anteaters, 5-3, on Saturday night. The Anteaters needed to win the suspended game to force a winner-take-all rematch with the Beavers later Monday.
Oregon State has been to the College World Series seven times, most recently in 2018 when the Beavers beat Arkansas, 5-0, to win their third championship. Oregon State also posted back-to-back CWS titles in 2006-07, beating North Carolina both times.
UCI made CWS appearances in 2007 and 2014. The Anteaters won back-to-back championships at the Division II level in 1973-74.