Gorgen delivers gem

WICHITA, Kan. — UC Irvine baseball coach Dave Serrano obviously feels comfortable finishing pitcher Scott Gorgen’s sentences. But when it comes to finishing ballgames, Serrano isn’t willing to let anyone else handle what has become Gorgen’s monumental role in the Anteaters’ historic postseason run.

Gorgen, a 5-foot-10, 183-pound sophomore, shut out Wichita State on eight hits in the first game of best-of-three Super Regional Saturday in front of a school-record crowd of 8,153 at the Shockers’ Eck Stadium.

The win propelled the No. 4-ranked Anteaters (44-15-1) within one win of the school’s first trip to the College World Series, scheduled Friday though June 25 in Omaha, Neb.

The Super Regional continues today at 10 a.m (on ESPN). Should No. 8-ranked Wichita State (53-21) win today, the deciding game would be played Monday at a time to be determined.

It was the fourth complete game in the last four starts for Gorgen, who has three shutouts during that stretch.

In his last five appearances, including a scoreless inning of relief in the regional-clinching victory over Texas Monday, the first-team All-Big West Conference performer has allowed just one earned run and 20 hits in 37 innings.

He has struck out 29 during that stretch and walked 10. Gorgen helped the Anteaters get a huge leg up in their first Super Regional appearance by getting ahead of nearly every hitter he faced.

Of the 34 batters who stood in against him, Gorgen threw first-pitch strikes to 23. Of his career-high 141 pitches, 88 were strikes. He didn’t allow a Wichita State leadoff batter to reach until the eighth inning and only three Shockers made it past second base.

Wichita State starter Aaron Shafer matched Gorgen zero-for-zero through seven, but having reached his pitch count, the projected future first-round draft pick gave way to the bullpen and the Anteaters capitalized.

Shockers’ reliever Andy Womack got two quick outs in the eighth, but he then walked Cody Cipriano, who went to third on Matt Morris’ bloop single to right field.

When Womack walked Bryan Petersen to load the bases, Wichita State Coach Gene Stephenson brought in senior Noah Krol, who has a team-leading 12 saves.

UCI freshman designated hitter Sean Madigan hit a comebacker on Krol’s first pitch and the ball caromed off the mound, then his glove, then his body, back toward the third-base line. By the time Krol retrieved the ball, he had no play and Cipriano had plated the game’s only run.

Gorgen benefited from three inning-ending double plays, as well as errorless defense. But Gorgen made UCI’s best defensive play of the game, pouncing on a would-be sacrifice bunt to nail the lead runner at third base to help thwart a promising Wichita eighth.

Gorgen allowed just one hit through four, but as his pitch count soared and his control wavered, the Shockers began creating some rallies.

Wichita State had three singles and a walk in the sixth, but catcher Aaron Lowenstein threw a would-be base stealer out at second for the second out and Gorgen fanned Matt Brown to leave the bases loaded.

Two one-out singles put Shockers at first and third in the seventh, but shortstop Ben Orloff speared a line drive off the bat of Tyler Weber, then doubled Josh Workman off third.

Dusty Coleman led off the Wichita eighth with a single and Andy Dirks followed with a walk.

Derek Schermerhorn, who had two sacrifice bunts all season, was asked to make it three, but his bunt between the third-base line and the mound, was scooped up by Gorgen.

Gorgen whirled and threw to third to get the lead runner.

While speculation circulated about whether Gorgen or NCAA career saves leader Blair Erickson would work the ninth, Serrano said there was little doubt about the decision.

“I know we didn’t have many people in the stands, but I know if I would have gone to take [Gorgen] out, they all would have come in the dugout and strangled me,” Serrano said. “The way that young man is pitching right now is pretty spectacular. The only thing I can compare it to in the years that I’ve been around, is in 2004, when Jason Windsor led Cal State Fullerton [for which Serrano was the pitching coach] to a national championship.

Gorgen was asked what he’d have done, had Serrano asked for the ball and taken him out.

Before he could answer, Serrano chimed in, “He would have gladly handed me the ball.”

Gorgen, who has thrown all six of UCI’s complete games this season, later concurred with the Anteaters’ head man and pitching coach.

“Obviously this coaching staff, and this program is starting to learn how to win and expecting to win,” Gorgen said. “So, whatever Coach does, I’m in 100% agreement with.

If he felt someone else could get the job done, that’s fine. But I told him I thought I had it in me to get it done.”

Gorgen, who improved to 12-2 and lowered his earned-run average to 2.68, admitted he had less than his full repertoire.

“My teammates would tell you I didn’t have my best stuff today,” Gorgen said. “The one thing I had working for me was my changeup. I give full credit to the Wichita State offense; they played us tough. Every out was a tough out. It was a dogfight and we know we have another one [today]. I just went out there and gave it everything I had. And I let my defense do the work for me and they did a spectacular job for me again.”

Taylor Holiday, Matt Morris and Madigan all had two hits for the Anteaters, who have won five straight and 13 of their last 14.

Coleman, the No. 9 hitter who came in hitting just .260, had a pair of hits for the Shockers, as did Workman.

“[Gorgen] was ahead of everybody the whole day,” Shermerhorn said. “He’d get 0-2, then start nibbling around the plate, trying to get us to chase. Then, later, when it was 2-2, we did chase … He changed speeds well.”

Stephenson credited Gorgen, but lamented his team’s missed opportunities.

“We had opportunities in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, but we had all different problems,” Stephenson said. “We’ve got to be able to deliver in clutch situations.”

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.

UC Irvine 1,

Wichita State 0

Score by Innings

UCI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 1 7 0

Wichita 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 8 0

Gorgen and Lowenstein; Shafer, Womack (8), Krol (8) and Weber. W -- Gorgen, 12-2. L -- Womack, 3-2. 2B -- Holiday (UCI).

NCAA Super Regional