Anteaters blank Lions behind Gorgen’s arm

IRVINE — Anteater Ballpark may feature some new construction this season, but the UCI Irvine baseball team used a familiar blueprint to defeat visiting Loyola Marymount Friday night.

The Anteaters, playing at home for the first time since the completion of the $2.4 million Newkirk Pavilion, that will house the team’s clubhouse, used their trademark pitching, defense and opportunistic offense to construct a 2-0 triumph.

Sophomore right-hander Scott Gorgen allowed four hits in seven scoreless innings, using only 80 pitches to mow through the Lions’ lineup with precision and poise.

UCI (2-2), which managed just four hits of its own, opened the scoring in the fifth, when junior catcher Aaron Lowenstein pushed a bunt down the first-base line as Josh Tavelli trotted home from third on a safety squeeze play.

Gorgen, the Big West Conference Freshman Pitcher of the Year in 2006, who struck out four and walked one Friday, would need nothing more to earn his first victory of the season in as many decisions.

Senior Matt Morris, however, doubled in Ollie Linton with an insurance run in the eighth and senior closer Blair Erickson, the fourth UCI hurler, worked a scoreless ninth for his second save of the season, the 42nd of his career.

“That was all about defense and pitching,” UCI Coach Dave Serrano said. “And that’s going to happen on Friday night. Brad Meyers [the Lions’ 6-foot-6 junior right-hander, who won his first start and who was ranked among top 50 draft prospects by Baseball America in the preseason] was exceptional tonight. We couldn’t pull the trigger, at times, off his fastball, and he mixed in his slider and change. But I thought Scotty matched him pitch for pitch.”

Gorgen, who surrendered three runs in six innings in his first start Feb. 2 at Cal, said it was good to be back home.

“Pitching at home is a great atmosphere and fans are here and they’re supportive,” Gorgen said. “This was a great way to start off our home season. The defense is just playing outstanding for me right now [no errors]. The offense is coming around and I think we’ll see a drastic improvement once they get locked in. But they scrapped tonight, we got the runs across and we got the victory, so that’s what matters.”

Tavelli singled to open the fifth and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jeffrey Cusick. Tavelli advanced to third when Tayler Vaughn’s looping liner landed in front of the diving center fielder, which set the stage for Lowenstein.

“[Third-base coach Greg Bergeron] didn’t even have to give me that sign,” Lowenstein said of the safety squeeze. “I knew it was coming. I was glad to get it down.”

Bryan Petersen rounded out the four-hit attack for the Anteaters, who were playing without senior offensive catalyst Cody Ciprano, last year’s team MVP, who missed his second game with a strained hamstring. Serrano said Cipriano is day to day.

UCI has scored just 10 runs in its first four games, with 27 hits, but Serrano said it’s too early to panic.

“From an offensive standpoint, we’re still scratching our heads,” Serrano said. “[UCI hitters] are trying too hard right now and, early in the year, the pitching is going to be ahead of the hitting a little bit. As long as they stay within themselves, they’re going to be fine … [The offense] is there, we’ve seen it all fall. It wasn’t a facade. It’s going to come out.”

Serrano said it was difficult to take Gorgen out.

“I had a goal of 80 to 90 pitches and [Gorgen] was [ within that],” Serrano said. “I know this is a long season and I don’t want to do anything to hurt him. And, I have a lot of faith in our bullpen to get it done. It wasn’t easy, but we got it done.”

Junior lefty Thomas Calahan opened the eighth and fanned the first hitter. But after hitting a batter with a ball in the dirt, he threw one ball to the next Lion and was replaced by freshman side-arm right-hander Eric Pettis. Pettis struck out the first hitter he faced, walked the next, then ended the inning with a ground ball to the second baseman.

LMU (3-2) visits UCI tonight at 6, with the third game of the nonconference series on Sunday at 1 p.m. at LMU.

Nonconference

UC Irvine 2,

Loyola Marymount 0

Score by Innings

Loyola 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 4 3

UCI 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 x - 2 4 0

Meyers, Kenney (8) and Dovel; Gorgen, Calahan (8), Pettis (8), Erickson (9) and Lowenstein. W -- Gorgen, 1-0. L -- Meyers, 1-1. Sv -- Erickson (2). 2B -- Morris (UCI).