It’s time to shift gears.

With a crucial three-game road series at Big West Conference frontrunner UC Irvine set for this weekend, the UC Davis baseball team needs to shake out the cobwebs.

Since an 18-7-1 record that sat among the best-ever starts to an Aggie season, UCD has lost seven of its past nine games. It had relief-pitching problems in Tuesday’s 9-4 nonconference loss to visiting San Francisco, which won its eighth straight.

Aggie skipper Matt Vaughn admits the visit to No. 19 Irvine (21-12, 8-1) is important, but says his team needs to look inward if it’s to make a move in the league standings. UCD is 20-14-1 overall and, at 4-5, sits in sixth place in the Big West.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Irvine or Podunk University, we have to get back to playing the baseball that got us to 20 wins at this point in the season,” Vaughn told The Enterprise.

“From Hawaii through now, the last 10 days we just haven’t played very good baseball.”

For a while Tuesday, the Aggies seemed in control.

Cabrillo College transfer Nat Hamby was nursing a 4-2 lead through five innings — but the encouraging thing was the 6-foot-4, 215-pound righty had just fanned seven of the nine consecutive batters he’d retired.

But Hamby was charged with a couple of late tallies after reliever Blake Peters allowed a run-scoring single to Blake Valley (before getting a sixth-inning-ending double play).

When Peters allowed a leadoff double to Michael Eaton in the seventh, Vaughn was quick with the hook — bringing designated hitter Spencer Henderson to the mound.

Henderson looked like he was out of the inning — retiring the first two hitters he faced. But an infield hit, a triple and a wild pitch put the Dons up, 7-4, and made a loser of Peters (0-2).

“Henderson does a great job, looking like he’s going to strand the leadoff double … with no outs,” Vaughn said. “He strikes a guy out, gets another grounder and is 0-2 to the next guy. We’re trying to climb the ladder and he leaves one out there, (Brendan Henricks) gets the hit that puts them ahead.”

In losing lopsided games to Cal State Fullerton on Saturday and Sunday (after a series-opening 3-2 victory), UCD’s defense was suspect.

Vaughn says if it’s not one thing, it’s been another during his squad’s recent swoon. So, is the ability there to get back in the race?

“Absolutely,” Vaughn answered without hesitation. “We showed through 30 games that we can be a pretty good baseball team; that we can play this game the right way. For one reason or another, we haven’t done that for a couple weekends and a couple Tuesdays.”

Despite the loss, the No. 2 hitter in the Big West — Aggie Nick Lynch — was at it again.

The senior first baseman went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. He’s now hitting .377.

In addition, UCD infielder Tino Lipson swiped two more bases and leads the conference with 20 thefts — the nation’s fourth-best total.

Lipson (.336) and shortstop Evan Heptig (.219) each collected three hits for the Aggies, but five pitchers allowed 13 hits — including six for extra bases.

There’s a long way to go (22 games, including 15 in Big West play) before the NCAA Regionals begin May 29.

Vaughn thinks his team can recapture its early energy:

“We’re not going to worry about the opponent. We’re just going to get back to playing the game the right way.”

Notes: Dons second baseman Eaton and catcher Dominic Miroglio each had three hits and two RBIs. … UCD plays UCI at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, then has 1 p.m. games on Saturday and Sunday. The Anteaters are paced by freshman utility standout Keston Hiura (.386, four homers, 29 RBIs). Matt Esparza (7-1, 2.95) is one of four Irvine starters with ERAs under 3.25. UCI started 2015 with an 0-7 mark and has won 16 of its last 17. … Vaughn says Kevin Barker’s surgical-repaired finger will be assessed next week. The speedy outfielder was hitting .298 with 17 runs scored and 17 steals. “They’ll take a look at how his finger is healing and let us know where we go from here,” Vaughn reported. … San Francisco, sitting in second at 11-4 in the West Coast Conference, is 19-19 overall.

— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at [email protected] or 530-320-4456.

0415ucdBaseW

Comments

comments