49ers strike gold in UCI pen

LONG BEACH – The Long Beach State baseball team took advantage of one of the few units slumping worse than it was Saturday afternoon.

The 49ers, who had lost 10 of their last 11, benefited from a beleaguered UC Irvine bullpen to record a 5-1 Big West Conference victory before 1,304 at Blair Field.

The win tied the series at one game apiece, setting up a crucial final game today at 2:30 p.m.

Releivers for No. 7-ranked UCI (22-6, 4-4 in conference) continued a recent trend of ineffectiveness that cost sophomore starter Bryce Stowell a chance at victory for the second straight week.

Stowell, who struck out a career-high nine in six-plus innings, left after throwing two balls to start the seventh – which would turn into his sixth walk and bring his pitch count to 109. He watched from the dugout as a familiar scene unfolded.

UCI relievers gave up four hits and four runs, two of which were earned, while allowing the runner that was charged to Stowell to score and erase a tenuous 1-0 Anteater lead.

Barring some relief work by midweek starter Christian Bergman and closer Eric Pettis, the rest of the UCI bullpen has now surrendered 36 hits, 31 runs (19 earned for an earned-run average of 8.55) in 20 innings, over the last 11 games. “Between our starters and our closer, we’re vulnerable,” said Anteaters coach Mike Gillespie. “That’s the fact of the matter. And if that doesn’t change, we’re going to have other days like [Saturday].”

Junior Matt Dufour got the first call Saturday, but gave up two earned runs on two hits in two-thirds of an inning.

Sophomore Tom Calahan gave up a hit and an unearned run while facing just one batter, then sophomore Kyle Necke followed, giving up a hit and an unearned run against the three batters he faced. Finally, senior Chris Lopez worked a scoreless ninth, fanning two and walking one.

Conversely, Long Beach State junior right-hander Vance Worley pitched a complete game for the win.

Stowell walked six, while allowing three hits.“Their guy was really, really good,” Gillespie said. “If that wasn’t the best performance against us, it was one of two or three on the short list.”

“But [Stowell] matched it. He was equally spectacular. His pitch count got up a little more than [Worley’s].”

Worley, who walked one to up his season total to six in 57 1/3 innings, allowed eight hits for his second complete game. He improved to 4-2 and finished with 119 pitches.

“[Worley] was good,” Gillespie said. “What he does so well is throw quality strikes. It was a game we had to win, 1-0.”

That scenario was possible when junior center fielder Ollie Linton bounced a single up the middle to drive home sophomore right fielder Dillon Bell, who had singled to lead off the UCI seventh.

Bell, who went three for four and is now five for seven in the series, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brock Bardeen. Bell then advanced to third on a groundout.

Stowell, to that point, had dodged several bullets to maintain a shutout through six.

He stranded two in the first and left the bases loaded in the sixth. In the fourth, No. 20-ranked Long Beach (19-13, 2-3) had runners at first and third with one out, when Stowell was at the center of an odd double play to end the threat.

Stowell, whose ERA fell to 1.90, faked a throw to third, then whirled and threw to first as Danny Espinosa broke for second. After a brief rundown, Stowell tagged Espinosa out, then threw home. Catcher Aaron Lowenstein then threw to third to catch Jason Corder off the bag, allowing the Anteaters to sprint into the dugout with some momentum.

Momentum was difficult to sustain, however, for an offense that produced a season-high 21 hits.

Ground ball double plays helped Worley end the first and ninth innings and Linton, the national leader in stolen bases per game, was gunned down trying to swipe second for the third out in the seventh.

Ben Orloff, Ryan Fisher and Francis Larson added singles to the eight-hit attack for UCI, which left six on base.

An RBI single by Jonathan Jones tied the game in the Long Beach seventh, sparking a four-run rally that included an RBI triple by TJ Mittelstaedt and a two-run triple by Espinosa, a sophomore shortstop, is five for seven in the series with four RBIs.

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Big West Conference

Long Beach State 5, UC Irvine 1

SCORE BY INNINGS

Stowell, Dufour (7), Calahan (7), Necke (7), Lopez (9) and Lowenstein; Worley and Howell. W – Worley, 4-2. L – Dufour 0-1. 3B – Mittelstaedt (LBS), Espinosa (LBS).

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