UCI handles Trojans

IRVINE — The UC Irvine baseball team treated a crowd of 2,035 to a 7-3 nonconference win over visiting USC Wednesday at Anteater Ballpark.

And while first-year UCI coach Mike Gillespie was satisfied with the win, which upped the No. 22-ranked ’Eaters’ record to 4-0 this season, he said he found some discomfort in topping the school he played for and spent 20 seasons guiding as head coach.

Making him even less enthused, the verdict pinned a loss on a USC unit guided by Chad Kreuter, Gillespie’s son-in-law, who was ejected in the middle of the seventh inning for arguing after an interference call on a base runner at second, creating a double play for the Anteaters.

“I didn’t like that at all,” Gillespie said of facing his alma mater, the roster of which still has players he recruited, before he left the Trojans dugout after the 2006 season.

What Gillespie did like was a strong starting performance by sophomore left-hander Daniel Bibona, as well as some clutch hitting in the fifth inning to help the hosts establish control.

Bibona worked six strong innings, surrendering three hits and one run. He walked one and struck out four. Bibona, who struggled in early season starts last season, when he finished 1-1 with a 6.84 earned-run average, stranded a runner at third base in the fifth and the sixth.

“He doesn’t look like they look, right?” Gillespie said of the 5-foot-11, 165-pound soft-tosser. “The thing about him is, he’s fearless. He throws strikes and he throws strikes with three pitches and I honestly think he’ll attack hitters no matter who is up there. I think he knows what he is, and he says ‘Here it is and if you can hit it’ … I’m just sure he’s not afraid and not everybody has the same mentality. So, I thought he gave us a great performance.”

Gillespie also praised junior shortstop Ben Orloff and freshman left fielder Ryan Fisher, each of whom drove in two runs in the fifth.

Junior third baseman Eric Deragisch led off the fifth with a single and, one out later, junior Tony Asaro walked. Junior Ollie Linton was hit by pitch to load the bases and Orloff singled up the middle on a 3-2 pitch to drive in two runs.

Fisher followed by fisting an opposite-field double inside third base, scoring Linton and Orloff and putting an end to the night of USC starter Anthony Vasquez, a junior lefty.

UCI tacked on three more in the eighth, when sophomore Jeff Cusick opened the rally with a single up the middle. After a groundout moved Cusick to second, senior second baseman Josh Tavelli doubled inside the left-field line to drive home Cusick.

Sophomore Dillon Bell singled through the right side to drive in Tavelli and, after Bell stole second, Linton pulled a single through the right side to finalize the Anteaters’ scoring.

USC (3-2), however, wasn’t quite done yet.

The Trojans used a two-out error, a dropped fly ball in right by Bell, to score two unearned runs in the ninth, as UCI ran through three relievers.

Bibona collected the win for the ’Eaters, while sophomore Eric Pettis earned his second save.

Tavelli finished three for four to pace UCI’s 11-hit attack, which included two hits in four at-bats by sophomore designated hitter Francis Larson.

Gillespie said the crowd, which more than doubled the seating capacity of around 1,000 was another positive.

Nonconference

UC Irvine 7, USC 3

SCORE BY INNINGS

Vasquez, Cabral (5), McCaffery (8), Grijalva (8) and Stock; Bibona, Dufour (7), Necke (9), Calahan (9), Pettis (9) and Lowenstein. W – Bibona, 1-0. L – Vasquez, 0-1. Sv – Pettis (2). 2B – Larson (UCI). Fisher (UCI), Tavelli (UCI).

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