Recap: 2026 Live Like Lou Las Vegas Classic - Game 1 - UC Irvine vs Vanderbilt
- Peak Events
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
CONTACT: Jeffrey Seals
(702) 683-8050
February 27, 2026
UC Irvine’s Trevor Hansen, Ryder Brooks shut down the high-scoring Vanderbilt offense in Friday's opening game.
LAS VEGAS - The UC Irvine Anteaters (7-3) knocked off the Vanderbilt Commodores (7-3) by a final score of 9-4 Friday afternoon in the opening contest of the Live Like Lou Las Vegas College Baseball Classic at Las Vegas Ballpark.
The Anteaters fell behind early, surrendering a run in the opening frame to the Commodores before each side scored twice in the second. The affair remained in Vanderbilt’s favor, 3-2, after back-to-back scoreless innings until UC Irvine flipped the script and broke the game open with one run in the fifth and four more in the sixth.
The Commodores got three runs early off UC Irvine’s Trevor Hanson (3-0) through those first two innings, but were held off the scoreboard the remainder of his outing. Hanson, a junior from Simi Valley, California, finished the game with 100 pitches, marking the ninth time he’s hit the century mark in his three years of play. The junior from Simi Valley, California, lasted 5.0 innings and was touched for three runs off of five hits with five strikeouts and three walks.
The affair began to turn in UC Irvine’s favor in the fourth when Frankie Carney began the inning by getting hit by an offering from Vanderbilt starting pitcher Connor Fennell. Two batters later, Carney stole second and then made his way home off an RBI single down the right field line by Alonso Reyes.
The Anteaters pulled ahead for good with their four-run sixth, which was aided by ineffective pitching from the Commodores’ bullpen. With two runners on following a walk and a single to Tommy Farmer and Dylan Hillman, respectively, a pair of wild pitches uncorked by England Bryan (0-1) and an RBI groundout handed the Southern California squad the lead.
UC Irvine was not done in the sixth, as the team kept the inning going with help from two walks, two hit-by-pitches and one single between Bryan and fellow reliever Jacob Faulkner.
“It was a competitive Friday night baseball game,” said UC Irvine head coach Ben Orloff. “I think we got a good start out of Trevor without his A+ stuff, but I think we saw the experience of a guy who has made 35 starts. When it’s not going right, he can pitch around problems. He gives you a chance to win every single time out. Really good bullpen. Ryder Brooks came in and was really good in those middle innings. I think we got six straight zeroes after that second inning until the last inning. Offensively, I think we’re finally finding ourselves a little bit where I thought we had a lot of good production with two strikes, tough outs up and down the lineup. So a good Friday night win against a really good Vanderbilt team.”
Brooks came on in relief of Hansen in the seventh and nearly went the remainder before giving way to teammate Peyton Rodgers for the final two outs. Brooks threw 3.1 innings, allowing one run off three hits, with three strikeouts against one walk.
Zach Fjelstad led the Anteaters at the plate going 3-for-6 with one run and a two-run double to cap the team’s scoring in the ninth.
Vanderbilt was able to claw one run back in the bottom of the ninth off a wild pitch, but left two runners on base when the final out was recorded.
UC Irvine had lost three of four coming into this weekend’s play, but got back in the win column before facing the Oregon Ducks Saturday afternoon at 12:00 pm.
Vanderbilt, on the other hand, had its six-game win streak snapped Friday. The Commodores, who had scored 10 or more runs in five of those six, will return to Las Vegas Ballpark Saturday for a 4:00 pm affair with the Arizona Wildcats.
All games of the Live Like Lou College Baseball Classic will be streamed exclusively on D1Baseball.com, with Mike Ferrin handling play-by-play duties and Mike Rooney providing color commentary.
Comments