IRVINE, Calif. – Nick Hoover and Mark Trentacosta combined for a two-hit shutout and UC Irvine defeated Washington State 6-0 in nonconference baseball, Wednesday night.
Hoover (2-0) pitched 7 2/3 innings, gave up one hit, struck out five and walked three. The lone hit for Washington State (9-6) off Hoover came when Ian Sagdal singled with one out in the fourth. Hoover retired the final-12 men he faced.
The Cougars loaded the bases with two outs in the first before Hoover induced Tommy Richards to hit into a force out. Washington State put runners at first and second in the third, but Derek Jones struck out and Adam Nelubowich flied out to end the threat.
Joe Pistorese (1-1) suffered the loss in his second-career start after giving up two runs on five hits with a walk and a strikeout in 3 1/3 innings.
UC Irvine (9-7) scored a run in the second on a pair of singles sandwiched around a walk followed by a sacrifice fly. In the fourth, a single, sacrifice and hit batter ended Pistorese's night. Scott Simon relieved and gave up a single to load the bases and a fielder's choice that scored a run to give the Anteaters a 2-0 lead.
UC Irvine added a run off Simon in the fifth, another in the seventh with Sean Hartnett on the mound, and capped the scoring with two runs against Mitch McQueen in the eighth.
