After a rough weekend overall last week, the Southern California squads bounced back with four series sweeps and a pair of series wins. Pepperdine took a SoCal West Coast Conference matchup with Loyola Marymount in walk-off fashion and Kris Bryant made a claim for Golden Spikes early frontrunner with a monster weekend against BYU.
We provided you with live updates on Twitter (@SoCal_CBDaily) throughout the weekend, but here’s a recap of all the weekend action:
The season begins today! To get you ready for the opening weekend of Southern California baseball action, we’ve got where the teams will be playing along with an Around the Horn preview of series to watch. In this opening weekend preview, I also give you the preseason version of Shotgun’s SoCal Squad, your All-Southern California Team.
Teams wil be trying to start strong to open the season and there is an opportunity for teams to makes some noise. Long Beach State travels to Nashville, Tenn. to take on the second-ranked Commodores of Vanderbilt.
FROM CCBL PRESS RELEASE
Andrew Thurman – Y-D Red Sox – RHP
Y-D pitcher Andrew Thurman (UC Irvine) put himself on the map with an incredible pitching performance that guaranteed him this week’s Coca Cola’s Pitcher of the Week.
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — UC Irvine sophomore starting pitcher Andrew Thurman is actually human. Thurman allowed three earned runs, but picked up his seventh win of the season in the Anteaters 5-3 win over Cal State Northridge Friday afternoon.
Though he showed no signs of a metal endoskeleton, Thurman mowed through opposing lineups like a pitching terminator in the month of April. In his four starts, the right hander allowed 10 hits and two earned runs. He pitched three consecutive complete games, including a no-hitter against Long Beach State, which came a week after he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against Cal State Fullerton.
With his recent string of success, it was feasible to ponder the possibility of another run at a no-hitter Friday afternoon at Matador Field against a light-hitting Northridge team that entered with a batting average just below .260. But Adam Barry made sure that didn’t happen with an infield single in the first inning.
The Matadors strung together five consecutive hits to open the second inning with three runs. They managed to collect nine hits against Thurman in his seven innings of work, but the Anteaters were able to get the win, scoring three runs in the sixth inning to take a 4-3 lead and not looking back.
IRVINE, Calif. — Taking care of a tragic family situation is something no one ever wants to do, but sometimes it is necessary.
UC Irvine second baseman Tommy Reyes had to do as much last week. He missed the Anteaters’ four games prior to this weekend’s matchup with UC Riverside while attending to family matters related to the death of his older brother Robby, a Marine Corps Cpl., who was killed in a training exercise in Morocco.
When he got returned this weekend, Reyes said he was just happy to be back with his Irvine (22-17, 7-7) teammates and to be able to go out and have fun. His bat has also been having fun. After a 4-for-4 performance Friday night, he was 3-for-4 with two doubles and scored both runs in the Anteaters’ 2-0 win Saturday afternoon against the Highlanders (14-22, 4-7).
IRVINE, Calif. — Rivals UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton split the first two games of their Big West conference series during Saturday’s doubleheader at Anteater Ballpark.
UC Irvine (18-13, 4-4) won the first game 4-1 thanks to an outstanding performance from sophomore starting pitcher Andrew Thurman (3-2). He pitched eight hitless innings before Austin Kingsolver broke up the no-hitter with an infield single on a chopper up the middle.
The Titans threatened in the ninth inning after a pair of walks loaded the bases, but Race Parmenter closed out the game, inducing a pair of ground balls for a double play and the final out.
Tommy Reyes had a big RBI single and Kris Paulino also drove in a run for the Anteaters.
After only one hit in the first game, Cal State Fullerton came out with their bats on fire in the second matchup. The Titans pounded 18 hits and ransacked the ‘Eaters 13-2. Fullerton chased Irvine starter Crosby Slaught (3-3) in a seven-run second inning. On the other side, Kenny Mathews really picked up the Titans. He allowed only two runs on six hits in seven strong innings. He didn’t walk a batter while striking out seven.
Cal State Fullerton had six batters record multiple-hit performances in the second game. Clay Williamson, in only his second career start, led the way with a pair of hits, including a bases-clearing triple in the second inning. Michael Lorenzen and Matt Chapman also had three RBI.
CBD Scouting Spotlight: Mark Appel (Stanford)
CBD Scouting Spotlight: Adam Plutko (UCLA)
CBD Scouting Report: Kevin Ziomek (Vanderbilt)
CBD Interview with Notre Dame’s Mik Aoki and Dan Slania
CBD Scouting Video: Colton Plaia (Loyola Marymount)
