Jacob McCombs had been arguably UC Irvine’s greatest hitter all season. The sophomore switch from San Diego State remodeled into an All-Large West choice together with his .350 batting common and team-high 1.070 on-base-plus-slugging proportion.
So when he got here as much as the plate within the backside of the fifth, down one run towards a taxed Arizona State southpaw in Ben Jacobs — McCombs supplied an actual likelihood to interrupt open the sport in favor of the second-seeded Anteaters with runners on first and second.
Coach Ben Orloff referred to as for McCombs to bunt. An image-perfect faucet towards third base despatched each runners into scoring place with one out — and the Irvine dugout into raucous cheers. When his crew wanted it, one in every of its stars stepped up.
“I thought it was real impressive,” Orloff mentioned. “McCombs has zero sacrifice bunts on the season, zero attempts on the season, to execute there, left on left… puts pressure on the other team. You can score a run with an out in that situation where you’re down 3-2.”
It didn’t matter to Jacobs. Dealing with the strain, the previous UCLA Bruin — pitching again at Jackie Robinson Stadium, the place he performed in 2023 — shut down Chase Name with a strikeout and compelled Blake Penso — his former battery mate at Huntington Seaside Excessive — to weakly fly out to proper area on the a hundred and fifth pitch of the lefty’s night time. “Full circle,” Jacobs mentioned.
McCombs’ small-ball heroics have been for naught. When Irvine’s offense labored one other alternative to attain within the backside of the eighth after Penso positioned down a sacrifice bunt, Alonso Reyes hit right into a 4-6-3 double play with the bases loaded to finish the rally. It was a kind of nights for the Anteaters, at a time of yr when it issues most, as UC Irvine fell 4-2 to third-seeded Arizona State within the Friday nightcap of the Los Angeles Regional.
UC Irvine third baseman James Castagnola fields a ball throughout a loss to Arizona State on Friday.
(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Occasions)
“I thought it was a well played college game,” Orloff mentioned, including he would have referred to as the sport the very same approach on reflection. “We’d like to come out on the top, on the other end of it obviously.”
UC Irvine strikes to the losers bracket the place it’ll face fourth-seed Fresno State at midday Saturday. To win the Los Angeles Regional, the Anteaters should win out — 4 video games throughout Saturday, Sunday and Monday — in the event that they need to attain the NCAA tremendous regionals.
Whereas UC Irvine’s offense may solely produce two runs and mustered simply 5 hits, Trevor Hansen — their ace — tried his greatest to place the Anteaters on his again. Regardless of giving up solo dwelling runs within the second inning to Jacob Tobias and Isaiah Jackson, the right-hander settled all the way down to toss 6⅓ innings, giving up six hits and three earned runs whereas putting out eight and strolling two.
“I think just using the mix more was something that I talked to [assistant coach Daniel Bibona] about,” Hansen mentioned when requested about working into the seventh after the 2 dwelling runs. “Not terrible pitches [on the home runs]. I mean, the fastball, 3-2, got hit a little bit, but the curveball and change up were working good after that.”
Hansen turned the ball over to Large West pitcher of the yr Ricky Ojeda with runners on first and second within the seventh. Ojeda made fast work — inducing a groundout and a strikeout — to flee the inning. The lefty pitched by the ninth, giving up one run on 40 pitches general, which may influence his availability in Saturday’s win-or-go-home contest towards the Bulldogs.
UC Irvine’s Anthony Martinez hits towards Arizona State on Friday.
(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Occasions)
Ojeda threw on back-to-back days simply as soon as in 2025, tossing 32 and 35 pitches towards UC San Diego on Could 3-4. Orloff mentioned Ojeda usually badgers him about getting into video games on days which are presupposed to be off days. Now, dealing with a must-win state of affairs, it’s all fingers on deck, the Anteaters coach mentioned — Ojeda included.
“I think that you kind of manage stuff as conservatively as you can throughout the course of the season,” Orloff mentioned. “So when it gets to this point, you can push, and with [Ojeda] on 40 pitches, him being back tomorrow would not be egregious.”
UC Irvine will flip to redshirt sophomore right-hander Riley Kelly towards Fresno State on Saturday. Kelly is 4-1 with a 3.92 earned-run common however has not pitched past the fifth inning in his final 4 appearances.
