Offensive outburst gives UCI four in a row

IRVINE ? The box score will surely offer some clues, but it may take a CSI unit to accurately determine all the reasons behind the demise of the UC Irvine baseball team’s latest victim.

Saturday night, it was San Diego State that appeared to bleed to death, inning by painful inning. Coach Tony Gwynn’s Aztecs succumbed to a series of bunts, infield singles, seeing-eye grounders and opposite-field fisters and stolen bases that the Anteaters parlayed into a 12-1 nonconference triumph.

The win clinched the three-game series victory and set up a chance for UCI’s first series sweep this season. It also improved Coach Dave Serrano’s little ball bullies to 8-5, and extended their winning streak to four.

“We play small ball, that’s our game,” said UCI sophomore catcher Aaron Lowenstein, who was responsible for the only one of the hosts’ 15 hits that came with any discernible power. “We get guys on, we move them over and we have guys getting clutch hits to drive them in. That’s Anteater baseball.”

Lowenstein, who went 3 for 4 with two RBIs, pulled a double into the left-field corner to drive in Chad Lundahl for the first run of a four-run seventh that amounted to window dressing.

Lowenstein also got a first-hand look at another strong start by freshman right-hander Scott Gorgen, who had a career-high eight strikeouts to earn his third win in four collegiate decisions. Gorgen, who gave up an unearned run before exiting with two outs in the fifth ? after 111 pitches ? lowered his earned-run average to 1.01. He has now surrendered 16 hits and struck out 18 in 26 2/3 innings.

“He’s getting us to where we want to be and that’s victorious,” Serrano said. “I thought he had some sloppy innings, when he was up in the zone a little, but sometimes you forget that he’s only a freshman who is going through some growing pains out there. I don’t think he realizes how special a college pitcher he can be with his stuff.”

Gorgen gave way to junior Gary Nakashima, who worked 3 1/3 scoreless relief innings, striking out five, to lower his ERA to 1.08 in 16 2/3 innings this season. Nakashima, who has become the team’s utility man, earned the first save of his UCI career.

Gorgen, who did not issue a walk, said he was able to relax and challenge hitters after his offense scored four in the second against Aztec starter Mike Koons.

Lundahl directed a two-run single into right field to key the second-inning outburst. He finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

UCI senior outfielder Gary Dudrey was 2 for 3 with a bunt single, an infield single and a sacrifice bunt. He also scored one run.

Taylor Holiday was 2 for 5 with two RBIs and two of the Anteaters’ four stolen bases.

Ten different players had hits for the winners, including sophomore Brian Roades, who reached on a looping jam shot that squirted away from a charging second baseman for an infield single in the four-run UCI eighth. It was the first career at-bat for Rhoades, who missed the 2004 season after having a tumor removed from behind one knee and was sidelined in 2005 after surgery to repair an unrelated knee injury.

“Those kind of things are special for me as a coach,” Serrano said of Roades’ hit.

Serrano said there is much about this team that he thinks is special.

“I’m just happy the way this team continues to respond with each other,” Serrano said. “We’re getting clutch hits and clutch performances on the mound. Like I keep saying, we don’t have any superstar. It’s a different star every night and I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.”

On his team’s little ball attack, Serrano said, “We like to put pressure on people. I think my offensive coaches have done a fabulous job of getting these kids committed to doing that kind of stuff. We know with our conference and or schedule, we’re going to run into some buzzsaw pitchers [against whom] you’re not going to be able to sit back and get your swings and get your hits. You’re going to have to be able to resort to something else. They’ve bought into it and they’ve responded tremendously.”