Fisher, Gorgen key UCI win

RENO — UC Irvine junior All-American pitcher Scott Gorgen allowed one hit in six shutout innings and redshirt freshman Ryan Fisher smacked a pair of two-run homer runs in his collegiate debut to lead the No. 22-ranked Anteaters to a 6-0 season-opening win over Nevada Friday at Peccole Park.

Fisher, playing left field and batting in the No. 3 spot, doubled in his first at-bat. He then hit homers in the third and fourth innings on his way to going three for four with four RBIs. Deemed by first-year coach Mike Gillespie the team’s hottest hitter coming into the season, Fisher recovered from a fractured foot in time to punish Wolf Pack starter Rod Scurry, who allowed five runs on seven hits in four innings.’

Fisher cleared the left-field fence to open the scoring in the three-run third, plating junior Ollie Linton. Fisher then doubled his home run total in the next inning.

UCI second baseman Tyler Hoechlin, a redshirt freshman who transferred from Arizona State, also homered in his collegiate debut to cap the scoring in the eighth.

Senior catcher Aaron Lowenstein had an RBI double to score sophomore third baseman Jeff Cusick for the third run in the third.

Junior Ollie Linton went three for five and scored twice in the leadoff spot, while Cusick finished two for three to help the visitors’ 11-hit attack.

Gorgen struck out three and walked six, before relievers Matt Dufour and Daniel Bibona completed the shutout. It was the third time in 30 openers that UCI blanked its opening opponent, the first time since an 8-0 triumph over Loyola Marymount in 1992.

Nevada managed just three hits, two by Jason Rodriguez.

The series continues today at noon, weather permitting.

Nonconference

UC Irvine 6, Nevada 0

SCORE BY INNINGS

Gorgen, Dufour (7), Bibona (9) and Lowenstein; Scurry, Stassi (5), Miller (8) and Jaquez. W – Gorgen, 1-0. L – Scurry, 0-1. 2B – Fisher (UCI), Cusick (UCI), Lowenstein (UCI). HR – Fisher (UCI) 2, Hoechlin (UCI).