UC Irvine Upends Big Green in Ninth Inning

Thursday, March 22

Irvine, Calif.

9:30 PM

Dartmouth College

2-8

UC Irvine

12-8

Dartmouth

UC Irvine

3/23/2012 12:54:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Dartmouth

IRVINE, Calif. — Jordan Fox single home Jerry McClanahan for the winning run with two outs in the ninth, capping a two-run rally and lifting host UC Irvine (12-8) to a 5-4 victory over Dartmouth (2-8) at Anteater Ballpark on Thursday night. The win was the third straight for the Anteaters while the Big Green lost for the third time this season on a walk-off hit.

The bottom of the ninth began with Dartmouth clinging to a 4-3 lead and senior reliever Max Langford on the mound. His control escaped him, however, as he walked pinch hitter Kris Paulino and threw two more balls to another pinch hitter, McClanahan. Head coach Bob Whalen dipped into his bullpen at that point, calling upon sophomore Mike Dodakian, who uncorked a wild pitch before issuing ball four to McClanahan, putting the winning run on base.

D.J. Crumlich, who was 4-for-4 on the night and a home run short of the cycle, laid down a sacrifice bunt, advancing both runners into scoring position. Dodakian then induced Tommy Reyes to hit a semi-shallow fly to right-center, which was tracked down by senior right fielder David Turnbull. His throw to the plate beat the runner but short-hopped the catcher, who could not handle the throw as pinch runner Jordan Alexander crossed the plate with the tying run. Fox lined a 1-0 offering into center field, and McClanahan raced around third to the plate. The throw went up the third-base line as the winning run scored.

Dartmouth had won 40 straight games when leading after eight innings, dating back to May 24, 2009.

Trailing 2-0 in the fifth, Dartmouth scored all of its runs on the night, chasing starter Nick Hoover in the process. Senior Joe Sclafani drew a one-out walk and took third on junior Chris O'Dowd's single between first and second. The Anteaters summoned Phillip Ferragamo from the bullpen, and sophomore Dustin Selzer immediately greeted him with a solid single to left on the first pitch he threw, driving in the first Big Green run. When junior Ennis Coble beat out an infield hit to load the bases, freshman Nick Lombardi strode to the plate.

Lombardi had stranded a total of five runners in his first two at-bats, ending the first and third innings with grounders to third. This time, however, the rookie pulled one past the third baseman down the line for a three-run double, giving Dartmouth a 4-2 lead. UC Irvine got one of those runs back in the bottom half on a Crumlich triple and Reyes' first sacrifice fly of the game.

The Anteaters took an early 1-0 lead in the first when D.J. Crumlich led off the inning with a bloop single, stole second and scored on Jeff Stephens' bloop single to right. That lead was doubled in the fourth thanks to a misplayed fly ball off the bat of Connor Spencer for a triple and a wild pitch.

The loss wasted a fine effort by sophomore Mitch Horacek on the mound. The left-hander scattered 11 hits over seven innings, yielding three runs, all earned, while striking out a career-high seven and not issuing a single walk. Langford (0-1), who tossed a scoreless eighth before his control lapse in the ninth, took the loss.

Both Selzer and senior Jake Carlson had three hits with a double to lead the Dartmouth offense that produced 11 hits. UC Irvine had at least one hit in every inning, collecting 13 in all, with Crumlich serving as the offensive star with his four knocks.

The three-game series continues tomorrow evening at UC Irvine with game two at 9:30 (EDT).