College Baseball: ‘Eaters win 11th in row
RIVERSIDE — If there was an adjustment necessary to ease the transition from high school to college baseball, UC Irvine freshman Keston Hiura hasn’t encountered it yet.
The sweet-swinging outfielder seems to have blended right in to Division I ranks, leading the Anteaters’ from the No. 3 hole and showing the way with his understated talent.
Hiura extended his team-best hitting streak to 14 games Friday by going two for five with two runs batted in to help the visitors earn a 10-4 Big West Conference win over UC Riverside at the Riverside Sports Complex.
It was the 11th straight win for UCI (17-10, 5-0 in conference), which remains alone atop the Big West standings. The third straight double-digit scoring output was a first since 2009 and the first time UCI has won three straight while scoring at least 10 runs since 1990.
UC Riverside (10-21, 0-5) has now lost eight in a row, and has allowed at least 10 runs in seven of those setbacks.
Hiura opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning and was joined by offensive standouts Mitchell Holland (two for five with two RBIs), Cameron Bishop (two RBIs) and Jerry McClanahan (two for three with a walk and a hit-by-pitch and two runs.
UCI, which scored seven runs in the third inning, now has 38 runs and 41 hits in three wins this week. But producing at the plate is hardly a novelty for Hiura, who led the California high school ranks with 14 home runs in 2014 and has four homers, 15 extra-base hits and a team-best 25 RBIs in the first 27 games of his collegiate career.
“I felt like I was prepared throughout high school and once I came to UCI, I felt comfortable,” Hiura said. “The coaches and the guys made me feel at home. I give them credit for easing me into the process.”
That process included no changes in form, Hiura said.
“I’ve taken the same approach that I’ve been taught since I was 8,” Hiura said. “Nothing has changed much.”
Hiura said the art of hitting remains as simple as seeing the ball and reacting. And he has also bought into another hitting cliché.
“I actually believe hitting is contagious,” Hiura said of UCI’s recent windfall. “We are hitting the ball well, finding the holes, executing and coming up with some clutch hits.”
For the second straight night, the Highlanders helped by committing four errors, though only two of UCI’s runs were unearned Friday. UCI plated eight unearned runs in a 15-5 triumph Thursday.
The win clinched the sixth straight series victory for UCI, which can close out the sweep on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Junior Matt Esparza allowed four runs on eight hits in seven innings to earn the win and improve to 6-1. He leads the Big West in victories.
Five of UCI’s eight hits were doubles.
UCI has won 14 of its last 15.
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Big West Conference
UC Irvine 10, UC Riverside 4
SCORE BY INNINGS
UCI 107 020 000 – 10 8 0
UCR 002 101 000 – 4 9 4
Esparza, Bishop (8), Sparling (9) and McClanahan; Keaton, Rogina (3) and Ellis. W – Esparza, 6-1. L – Keaton, 2-4. 2B – Hiura (UCI), Bishop (UCI), Holland (UCI), McClanahan (UCI), Coss (UCI). HR – Fernandez (UCR).