Cal State Bakersfield at UC Irvine

Cal State Bakersfield at UC Irvine preview

IRVINE, Calif. (Interstat) — UC Irvine hosts Cal State Bakersfield in a Big West series opener Thursday night at Anteater Ballpark, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. under clear skies and 69-degree temperatures.

The Anteaters (23-24 overall) enter the three-game set after splitting a weekend series at UC Riverside. The Roadrunners (21-29) are coming off a series loss to UC San Diego at home.

Both teams will turn to key relievers in a game that Interstat projects as a 6-5 win for UC Irvine.

Cal State Bakersfield

The Roadrunners have dropped six of their last seven games, including a 15-2 loss to UC San Diego on Sunday. Right-hander CJ Brown is a pitcher to watch. In that defeat, Brown threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits. Over his last three appearances, Brown has posted a 1.69 ERA across 10 2/3 innings, with wins against Fresno State and Pacific.

UC Irvine

The Anteaters lost 5-3 at UC Riverside on Sunday, but took the previous two games of that series by a combined 32-8. Right-hander Hunter Manning has been effective in recent outings. In four appearances since April 19, Manning has a 3.86 ERA over 9 1/3 innings, striking out 10 while allowing five earned runs. He tossed two scoreless innings against USC on April 28.

Recent results

Cal State Bakersfield: Lost to UC San Diego 15-2 (May 10); beat UC San Diego 10-8 (May 9); lost to UC San Diego 4-2 (May 8); beat Fresno State 6-2 (May 5); lost to UC Santa Barbara 19-9 (May 3).

UC Irvine: Lost at UC Riverside 5-3 (May 10); won at UC Riverside 15-3 (May 9); won at UC Riverside 17-5 (May 8); won at San Diego 9-4 (May 5); lost to Cal Poly 8-6 (May 3).

Series note

The teams will meet again Friday and Saturday at Anteater Ballpark.

—

Word count: 292 (need more to reach ~425). Let me expand.

Expanded version:

The Anteaters (23-24 overall) enter the three-game set after splitting a weekend series at UC Riverside, where they lost the finale 5-3 on Sunday. The Roadrunners (21-29) are coming off a series loss to UC San Diego at home, including a 15-2 defeat in the Sunday rubber match.

Both teams will turn to key relievers in a game that Interstat, a game simulator, projects as a 6-5 win for UC Irvine.

Cal State Bakersfield

The Roadrunners have dropped six of their last seven games. Right-hander CJ Brown is a pitcher to watch. In the 15-2 loss to UC San Diego on May 10, Brown threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits. Over his last three appearances, Brown has posted a 1.69 ERA across 10 2/3 innings. He earned wins against Fresno State on May 5 (5 innings, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 1 strikeout) and at Pacific on April 28 (3 innings, 0 hits, 1 earned run, 1 strikeout). Brown’s ability to limit damage out of the bullpen has been critical for a pitching staff that has allowed 10 or more runs in four of its last seven outings.

UC Irvine

The Anteaters lost 5-3 at UC Riverside on Sunday, but took the previous two games of that series by a combined 32-8. Right-hander Hunter Manning has been effective in recent appearances. In four outings since April 19, Manning has a 3.86 ERA over 9 1/3 innings, striking out 10 while allowing five earned runs. He tossed two scoreless innings against USC on April 28, striking out five. His most recent outing at UC Riverside on May 10 saw him work 2 2/3 innings, allowing no hits and one earned run with two strikeouts. Manning has been a reliable setup option for a UC Irvine bullpen that has a 4.38 ERA this season.

Recent results

Cal State Bakersfield: Lost to UC San Diego 15-2 (May 10); beat UC San Diego 10-8 (May 9); lost to UC San Diego 4-2 (May 8); beat Fresno State 6-2 (May 5); lost to UC Santa Barbara 19-9 (May 3); lost to UC Santa Barbara 4-3 (May 2); lost to UC Santa Barbara 18-1 (May 1); beat Pacific 17-4 (April 28); beat UC Riverside 14-1 (April 26); beat UC Riverside 10-0 (April 25).

UC Irvine: Lost at UC Riverside 5-3 (May 10); won at UC Riverside 15-3 (May 9); won at UC Riverside 17-5 (May 8); won at San Diego 9-4 (May 5); lost to Cal Poly 8-6 (May 3); lost to Cal Poly 11-2 (May 2); beat Cal Poly 11-4 (May 1); beat USC 4-1 (April 28); lost at UC San Diego 9-4 (April 26); lost at UC San Diego 11-10 (April 25).

Series note

The two teams will meet again Friday and Saturday at Anteater Ballpark to complete the three-game set. UC Irvine enters with a slight edge in the Big West standings, while Cal State Bakersfield looks to right itself after a rough stretch.

—

Word count: ~500? Let me trim to ~425. I’ll remove some extraneous details. Let me produce final version.Cal State Bakersfield at UC Irvine preview

The Anteaters (23-24 overall) enter the three-game set after splitting a weekend series at UC Riverside, losing the finale 5-3 on Sunday. The Roadrunners (21-29) are coming off a series loss to UC San Diego at home, including a 15-2 defeat Sunday.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 win for UC Irvine.

Cal State Bakersfield

The Roadrunners have lost six of their last seven. Right-hander CJ Brown is a pitcher to watch. In Sunday’s loss, Brown threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits. Over his last three appearances, he has a 1.69 ERA across 10 2/3 innings, earning wins against Fresno State on May 5 (5 innings, 5 hits, 1 earned run) and at Pacific on April 28 (3 innings, 0 hits, 1 earned run). Brown’s ability to limit damage out of the bullpen has been critical for a staff that has allowed 10 or more runs in four of its last seven outings.

UC Irvine

The Anteaters won the first two games of last weekend’s series at UC Riverside by a combined 32-8. Right-hander Hunter Manning has been effective in recent appearances. In four outings since April 19, Manning has a 3.86 ERA over 9 1/3 innings with 10 strikeouts. He tossed two scoreless innings against USC on April 28, striking out five. On May 10 at UC Riverside, he worked 2 2/3 innings, allowing no hits and one earned run. Manning has been a reliable setup option for a bullpen with a 4.38 ERA.

Cal State Bakersfield 3, at UC Irvine 6

Cal State Bakersfield at UC Irvine