Historic win for UC Irvine

FULLERTON — The journey toward a historic 12-6 victory that some believe put the UC Irvine baseball team in the driver’s seat toward a Big West Conference title, began Saturday morning with the Anteaters assembled in about 15 rows of passenger seats.

“When we got here [Friday, after a dramatic 2-1 series-opening win Thursday] you could kind of see that my guys were a little timid,” UCI Coach Dave Serrano said. “It was almost like, ‘God, are we supposed to be [beating the No. 12-ranked Titans].’

“Today, when we got on the bus [leaving from UCI], I told the players the bus doesn’t leave until our mindset is straight and we’ve got 25 committed young men and a coaching staff that is ready to head north and play Fullerton today. They said ‘Yes, Coach, we’re ready,’ and you could just see that in the bounce they had in their step today. It was different than [Friday, when they lost, 10-2].”

The difference was apparent early, as UCI scored eight runs on seven hits in the second inning to take command. The rubber-game victory gave No. 23-ranked UCI (23-8-1, 4-2 in conference) its eighth straight conference win. It was, however, the first time UCI has won a conference series from its Orange County neighbor.

It was the first time since 2002 that the Titans (19-12, 4-2) have lost a conference series at home.

UCI and Cal State Fullerton, which has won four national championships, are tied for second in the Big West, behind Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, which improved to 5-1 with a win over Cal State Northridge Saturday.

Cal Poly visits UCI for a three-game series beginning Friday night at Anteater Ballpark.

“I think [the Anteaters] are in the driver’s seat, in my opinion,” Fullerton Coach George Horton said. “We’ve both got two losses, but we still have to play Long Beach State [which lost two of three to UCI to open conference play]. There are still [15 conference] games to play, but I know, going into this, if [the Anteaters] could go 4-2 against Long Beach and us, I think they’d take it. They did a good job.”

It was an inside job that included eight bunts, five infield singles, three stolen bases and 14 hits for the visitors, who featured the small ball that Serrano learned so well from Horton in nine seasons as a Titans assistant coach.

“We were going to make it about us [Saturday],” Serrano said. I think we were trying too hard to win in the first two games and I think it affected us, offensively [just three runs on 10 hits in 18 innings]. [Saturday] we made it more about us and what we do.”

Taylor Holiday opened the game with a bunt single and the eight-run second included a bunt single by Ben Orloff on a squeeze play that plated Ollie Linton from third.

Linton, the closest thing the Big West has to Juan Pierre, had a bunt single of his own as part of his four-for-five day at the plate.

Linton also doubled and lined a two-run single into right field in UCI’s second-inning outburst. Linton finished with three RBIs and overcame a first-inning error — on a dropped fly ball in the gap — by making six putouts in center field.

UC Irvine’s small-ball attack, helped complicate things for the Titans.

“The story of this game was defense,” Horton said. “They kicked our butt on defense. Even though they made three errors, they made some good plays.”

UCI also pieced together pitching performances by Christian Bergman, Gary Nakashima, who earned the win, and Dylan Axelrod, who got the save.

Bergman, making his first collegiate start, allowed two earned runs in three innings. It was Nakashima’s first decision this season, while Axelrod, who earned a heroic save Thursday, worked three scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. The trio did not walk a batter.

Sean Madigan, Orloff, Tyler Vaughn and Bryan Petersen, who homered, all had two hits for UCI.

Big West Conference

UC Irvine 12,

Cal State Fullerton 6

Score by Innings

UCI 0 8 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 - 12 14 3

CSF 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 - 6 11 1

Bergman, Nakashima (4), Axelrod (7) and Lowenstein; Urena, Jorgenson (2), Birosak (6), Klipp (6) and Curtis. W -- Nakashima, 1-0. L -- Urena, 3-3. Sv -- Axelrod (3). 2B -- Linton (UCI), Hardman (CSF), Harris (CSF). HR -- Mahin (CSF), Petersen (UCI).