Shades of Omaha

IRVINE — Shades of Omaha reverberated around Anteater Ballpark Saturday night, echoing alongside some familiar late-inning heroics that propelled host UC Irvine to a 3-2 victory over Big West Conference baseball rival Cal State Fullerton in 12 innings.

Just as he had in UCI’s 10-inning win over Arizona State in last year’s College World Series, center fielder Ollie Linton singled to aid a dramatic comeback. Against ASU, the Rosenblatt Stadium crowd was chanting “Ollie, Ollie, Ollie,” as he singled to bring in the winning run. This time, about half of the crowd of 2,608 that remained held their explosion until after he singled in Sean Madigan to erase a 2-1 Titans lead.

Linton, who entered the week leading the nation with 22 steals this season and who became the Anteaters’ all-time stolen-base king by swiping second in the first inning for his 53rd career steal, then stole second to set the table for fellow junior Ben Orloff.

Orloff, who predicted to pitching coach Ted Silva, a former Cal State Fullerton star, that he would produce the game-winning hit in the ninth inning [when he was left on the on-deck circle], belatedly made good on his promise by lining a single through the right side.

Titans right fielder Jeff Newman, playing shallow, charged the ball and made a throw that reached cutoff man Jared Clark, who short-hopped it and threw to backup catcher Matt Powell. But Powell failed to come up with the ball, which appeared to glance off his glove as Linton slid in safety with the winning run.

“That was the best feeling,” said Orloff, who had a game-winning, walk-off hit in his freshman year at home against UNLV.

“But I didn’t call that one,” said Orloff, who was mobbed after rounding second base by jubilant teammates who charged out of the dugout.

Linton also was the center of a mob of excited Anteaters (20-4, 3-2 in conference), ranked No, 4 by Collegiate Baseball, who were eager to congratulate him for his key part in the comeback. It was a scene that added to flashbacks of Omaha by Linton and Orloff.

“When [Fullerton pinch-runner] Joe Scott reached second base in the ninth inning, I said ‘It feels just like we’re in Omaha again, huh?’ ” Orloff said.

Linton said he too recalled memories of last year’s CWS appearance, where the Anteaters eliminated the Titans, 5-4, in a 13-inning classic that is the longest game in CWS history.

“I just got that good feeling I felt before when I was in Omaha,” Linton said of his at-bat in the 12th, which occurred after sophomore right fielder Madigan led off the rally with a line single to left.

Madigan advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Aaron Lowenstein and Linton stepped in against Titans reliever Adam Jorgenson.

“I knew [Cal State Fullerton Coach Dave Serrano, who guided UCI to Omaha in the last of his three seasons at the Anteaters’ helm] was going to challenge me either up or down with a slider in the dirt,” Linton said. “Or, he was going to try to stretch the zone with a fastball. Luckily [Jorgensen, a former Costa Mesa High standout] left one right over the plate and I just stayed back and got my hands through it and bounced in right [up the middle].”

Gillespie said the game-winning sequence helped rescue what could have been a bitter defeat, as the Titans (17-10, 3-2) erased a 1-0 lead in the ninth when a run scored on a wild pitch. Fullerton then took the lead in the 12th when a catcher’s interference call negated a would-be inning-ending groundout and Corey Jones followed with an RBI single that plated Christian Colon for a 2-1 advantage.

“It would have been a really tough loss, given the fact that [sophomore starting pitcher Bryce] Stowell pitched so well [a career-high seven strikeouts in a career-long seven scoreless innings],” said Gillespie, whose team fell, 12-5, in Friday’s series opener. “Certainly it’s a huge lift and we feel good now. It’s good to feel good.”

Stowell was better than good, both coaches said.

“It was a gem, a quantum leap for him,” Gillespie said of his outing, in which he stranded two runners in the first, fourth and seventh and left single runners aboard in the third and sixth.

“[Stowell] has a lot of mentality and he has great stuff too,” said Serrano, who credited his former team’s resolve.

“Hats off to [the Anteaters]; they battled through it,” Serrano said. “We put a run on the board in the top of the 12th and they came back and scratched and clawed. And none of that surprises me. I’ve been around those kids long enough to where none of that surprises me.”

Linton, who was three of six with two steals, said he was surprised third-base coach Pat Shine sent him on the game-winning play.

“When I looked back at second base, I saw [Newman] was playing a short second base,” Linton said with a laugh. “Coming around third, when I saw [Shine’s] arm moving, I put my head down and tried to do everything I could to get that ball loose and, luckily, he went tag first before he caught the ball.”

Said Shine: “Ollie’s one of the best base runners in the country, so you have to send him there. I’ll take our speed against their arms there; that was my thought process there.”

Ryan Fisher singled in Jeff Cusick in the UCI fourth. Fisher later left the game with a foot injury that Gillespie feared might be a recurrence of a fracture that sideline him in January.

The series concludes today at 1 p.m.

Big West Conference

UC Irvine 3, Cal State Fullerton 2

SCORE BY INNINGS

Renken, Morrison (6), Dovel (6), Ackland (7), Jorgenson (7); Stowell, Calahan (8), Bergman (8), Pettis (9). W – Pettis, 2-0. L – Jorgenson, 1-1. 2B – Colon (CSF), Clark (CSF), Weeks (CSF).

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