UC Irvine continued its baseball mastery of the Big West — and Hawaii — with today’s doubleheader sweep at Cicerone Field at Anteater Ballpark in Irvine, Calif.

In winning 12-5 and 4-3, the Anteaters claimed the first three of this four-game series against UH to improve to 7-0 in the Big West. The Rainbow Warriors fell to 3-4 in the Big West and 11-6 overall after suffering their fourth consecutive loss. The series concludes on Sunday with the first pitch at 10 a.m. Hawaii time.

In the doubleheader’s first game, the ’Bows broke to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, in part to designated hitter Jacob Igawa’s three-run homer over the wall in left-center. After that first-inning breakdown, UCI’s Nick Pinto allowed three hits the ensuing six innings. Pinto walked one and struck out eight in seven innings. The Anteaters went ahead, 7-4, with a five-run fifth and ended the drama with four more runs in the eighth.

In the second game, the ’Bows tied it at 3 on Kole Kaler’s two-run, opposite-field grounder to left in the seventh inning.

But in the bottom of that inning, UCI shortstop Taishi Nakawake powered a double off the wall in left field, advanced to second when pitcher Li‘i Pontes had trouble fielding Connor McGuire’s bunt, and scored on Mike Peabody’s safety squeeze.

The ’Bows filled the bases with two outs in the ninth, but Tyler Best’s flied out to right to end it.