‘Eaters take step closer

RIVERSIDE — In a deck full of Big West Conference pitching aces, UC Irvine sophomore Scott Gorgen, might appear the least-suited for success. At 5-feet-10, 183 pounds, and without a mid-90-mph fastball, he may not stand out to the professional scouts amid a skyline of towering talent that typically toes the rubber on Friday nights.

But, as he proved yet again by outdueling highly touted UC Riverside junior James Simmons Friday at the Riverside Sports Complex, the gritty Gorgen is the Anteaters’ most potent and productive wild card.

Gorgen, who improved to 10-2 with his second straight complete-game shutout in a 5-0 Big West win over the Highlanders, needed every ounce of his competitiveness to help keep UCI in the hunt for the conference championship, before 1,100.

The No. 10-ranked Anteaters (39-14-1, 14-5 in conference) moved to within one game of No. 16-ranked Riverside (36-18, 15-4), with two games remaining against the Highlanders.

Cal State Fullerton’s 7-6 win over Long Beach State Friday also allowed the Anteaters to take sole possession of second place from the 49ers.

With wins tonight at 6 and Sunday at 1 p.m., UCI would claim the program’s first Big West crown.

Gorgen, coming off a four-hit shutout of Cal State Northridge on May 18, allowed just three hits to the powerful hosts, who came into the game with 49 home runs this year, 12 more than the Anteaters.

He struck out a career-high 11, walked two and allowed only one runner to reach second base in what he called his most memorable collegiate start.

Gorgen, the Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year last season as a Saturday starter, also blanked Cal State Fullerton on four hits for eight innings on April 5 to hand marquee Titans starter Wes Roemer a loss.

Gorgen, who now has all four of UCI’s complete games, also earned victories against Big West rivals Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara this season.

“I’ve known for two years now that Scotty likes the limelight,” UCI Coach Dave Serrano said. “He was on it as much as you can be on it tonight. He had good stuff and just took it to them. He got us the first game. We’re in the same boat as [the Highlanders today]. They’ve got to win [today] and we’ve got to win [today].”

Gorgen said the crowd, a Riverside record as a Division I program, and the matchup helped make his performance special.

“I knew it was a big game and I was going up against a potential first-round draft pick in Simmons,” Gorgen said. “This is the biggest crowd I’ve played in front of in my two years here. I love the spotlight. I love the night games and I love getting after it.”

It was only the third loss in 13 decisions this season for Simmons, a 6-4, 215-pounder expected to go in the first two rounds of the upcoming first-year-player draft. Simmons has five complete games this season and came in with a 2.08 earned-run average.

Simmons is one of only two Big West players — UCI senior closer Blair Erickson is the other — among 30 candidates for the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the top player in college baseball.

Simmons went eight innings, allowing five earned runs and nine hits. He struck out six, moving to No. 2 in school single-season annals with 112 strikeouts in 2007.

Erickson, with an NCAA record 53 saves, wasn’t needed as Gorgen fanned the final two hitters he faced to finish with 135 pitches. He retired 19 of the final 20 he faced, with only a walk ruining that run.

Cody Cipriano, who struck out his first two at-bats and popped up with a runner on third in his third, made amends by yanking a hanging, 1-2 slider high into the screen behind the left-field wall for a three-run homer, his 11th of the season. Only Chris Miller (2002) has hit more single-season home runs in Anteater annals.

Holiday, who extended his hitting streak to 15 games, finished three for three with a single, double and triple.

Lowenstein and Vaughn were both two for four to help bolster UCI’s 11-hit attack.

It was the eighth straight win for the Anteaters, giving them a season-high winning streak as they try to impress the NCAA selection committee enough to land one of 16 bids to host next week’s NCAA Regionals. UCI, with its record-setting 39th single-season win as a Division I program, had won seven in a row on three separate occasions this season.

“The best thing about tonight for me, is the atmosphere we played in,” Serrano said. “With the big crowd and what was at stake, this is preparing us for [the regionals] next week.”

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or [email protected].

UC Irvine 5, UC Riverside0

Score by Innings

UCI 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 - 5 11 0

UCR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 0

Gorgen and Lowenstein; Simmons, Dickey (9) and Dunbar. W -- Gorgen, 10-2. L -- Simmons 10-3. 2B -- Holiday (UCI), Wible (UCR). 3B -- Holiday (UCI). HR -- Cipriano (UCI).

Big West Conference