Sports
Top-Seeded UC Irvine Defeats No. 4 Seed Hawai’i to Advance to Semifinals of Big West Championship
Box Score | UCI Presser | UH Presser FULLERTON, Calif. — No. 1 seed UC Irvine (40-13) defeated the No. 4 seed Hawai’i (34-20) by a final score of 7-5 on day two of the 2025 Big West Baseball Championship, presented by Ontario International Airport, Thursday at Goodwin Field. The Anteaters advance to the semifinals of the winner’s bracket and […]
FULLERTON, Calif. — No. 1 seed UC Irvine (40-13) defeated the No. 4 seed Hawai’i (34-20) by a final score of 7-5 on day two of the 2025 Big West Baseball Championship, presented by Ontario International Airport, Thursday at Goodwin Field. The Anteaters advance to the semifinals of the winner’s bracket and will face No. 2 seed Cal Poly on Friday, May 23 at 3 p.m. PT. Hawai’i will face No. 3 seed Cal State Fullerton in an elimination game on Friday, May 23 at 7 p.m. PT.
UCI took an early lead with three runs in the first inning with RBIs coming from Anthony Martinez, Jacob McCombs and Chase Call.
‘Eaters get on the board first! ??@UCIbsb‘s Anthony Martinez gets the RBI. #?????????????????????? x #NCAABaseball x @UCIAthletics pic.twitter.com/74RbyymEvq
— The Big West (@BigWestSports) May 22, 2025
Hawai’i responded with two runs in the next half inning as Kamana Nahaku and Draven Nushida each drove in a run. The Anteaters increased their lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the second inning after a Rainbow Warrior error and RBI from McCombs.
Hawai’i closed the gap with a three-run homer from Ben Zeigler-Namoa in the seventh inning to cut the margin to one run.
A 3-Run ?????? for the ‘Bows!
Ben Zeigler-Namoa goes deep for @HawaiiBaseball to pull the ‘Bows within 1?. #?????????????????????? x #NCAABaseball x @HawaiiAthletics pic.twitter.com/Px9Y5tlrqk
— The Big West (@BigWestSports) May 23, 2025
UCI scored an insurance run in the eighth, driven in by Will Bermudez, and closer Max Martin shut the door to givethe Anteaters the victory.
UCI’s pitching staff of Riley Kelly, Ricky Ojeda and Martin recorded nine strikeouts in the game, while its offense capitalized on Hawai’i’s error in the second inning and four hit batters.
Bermudez highlighted the game for the Anteaters by getting in base every plate appearance with a 2-for-2 effort, two walks drawn and two runs scored. Martinez made a notable impact with two RBIs. McCombs also added to the scoreboard with two RBIs. On the pitching side, Kelly delivered a solid performance, recording five strikeouts over 4.1 innings, while allowing two earned runs. Ojeda earned the win, pitching 3.0 relief innings, to move to a perfect 13-0 pitching record on the season. Martin earned save number 14 on the season allowing only one hit in 1.2 innings of work.
Zeigler-Namoa made a significant impact for the Rainbow Warriors with a home run and three RBIs. Jordan Donahue led the team with three hits. On the pitching side, Ethan Thomas excelled in relief, pitching 2.1 innings without allowing a hit or run and striking out three batters.
Gallery: (5-22-2025) 2025 BSB Champs: No. 1 UCI vs No. 4 UH