Irvine balances its act

LONG BEACH – The UC Irvine baseball coaching staff deemed Long Beach State senior right fielder Jason Corder a square peg in a 49ers lineup of round holes Friday night.

Meanwhile, the Anteaters’ lineup proved positively symmetrical, helping UCI pound out a season-high 21 hits in a 10-5 Big West Conference victory in front of 2,181 at Blair Field.

While UCI twice issued intentional walks to Corder, who came in leading the team in batting average (.365), and leading the conference in home runs (eight) and RBIs (31), the visitors had at least one hit from 10 players, including all nine spots in their batting order.

Eight Anteaters had at least two hits to help junior All-American pitcher Scott Gorgen survive an atypical start to improve to 6-2.

UCI (22-5, 4-3 in conference), ranked No. 7 by Baseball America, effectively kicked the No. 20-ranked Dirtbags (18-13, 1-3) while they were down. It was the 10th loss in 11 games for Long Beach State, the team the coaches’ preseason poll picked as the favorite to win the conference.

It was the third win against Long Beach in their last four meetings for UCI, which won the series with their Black-and-Blue rival for the first time in five tries last season.

Long Beach, known for its consistent pitching prowess, had not give up at least 20 hits since May 18, 2001, when Cal State Fullerton managed the feat.

Corder made UCI pay the first time it attempted to pitch to him, ripping an RBI single into left field to pull the hosts even, 2-2.

One out later, freshman second baseman Devin Lohman doubled in the go-ahead run to five the 49ers their final lead.

UCI, however, rallied for two runs in the sixth against Dirtbags ace Andrew Liebel. In typical fashion, it was an Anteater ambush that included five straight hits.

The barrage began with a one-out double by sophomore left fielder Francis Larson, whose sixth homer of the season in the fourth broke a 1-1 tie.

Sophomore third baseman Casey Stevenson lined a single to right-center field to drive in Larson. Stevenson advanced to third on a line single to right by sophomore right fielder Dillon Bell and scored on bounding single through the left side by senior second baseman Josh Tavelli.

The Anteaters left the bases loaded in the sixth and stranded 13 in the game, but some defensive efficiency – three double plays and an additional runner caught trying to steal second – helped Gorgen and relievers Christian Bergman and Crosby Slaught extend the Long Beach State misery for at least another game.

Gorgen, who for the third straight start was less than his dominant self, benefited from all three twin killings to outlast Liebel. Gorgen did not have a perfect inning when he exited with one out in the seventh, worn down by 119 pitches.A 4-6-3 double play ended the second. A 6-4-3 double play ended the Long Beach fourth and, in the seventh, after Gorgen gave way to Bergman after issuing a one-out walk, catcher Aaron Lowenstein threw out a runner trying to steal second on the same pitch in which Bergman recorded a strikeout.

Lowenstein nailed another steal at second in the eighth, but his three hits were the best news. Lowenstein came in hitting .185. But three hits in four at-bats later, he had raised his average 32 points to .217.

Stevenson went three for five and junior shortstop Ben Orloff was three for six, including an RBI single in the ninth,

Ollie Linton, Orloff, Larson, Bell, Tavelli and Ryan Fisher had two hits apiece for the winners.

Junior Tony Asaro belted his third homer of the season, a two-run, pinch-hit bomb in the four–run ninth for the Anteaters.

Sophomore first baseman Jeff Cusick, the final UCI starter to get a hit, made his count. His two-run single in the eighth widened the lead to 6-3, giving the visitors some much-needed breathing room in a game that was a white knuckler through seven.

The series continues today at 2 p.m.

Big West Conference

UC Irvine 10, Long Beach State 5

SCORE BY INNINGS

Gorgen, Bergman (7), Slaught (9) and Lowenstein; Liebel, Roberts (7), Vincent (8), Born (9), Rasco (9) and Howell. W – Gorgen, 6-2. L – Liebel, 3-2. 2B – Orloff (UCI), Larson (UCI), Lohman (LB). 3B – Barger (LB). HR – Larson (UCI), Asaro (UCI).

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