Anteaters drop series finale

NORTHRIDGE — Still just two games behind conference-leading Cal State Fullerton in the loss column with nine conference games to play, the mathematical possibilities exist for the UC Irvine baseball team to challenge for the Big West Conference championship.

But, as the Anteaters proved Sunday in a 4-1 loss at Cal State Northridge, counting on victories against even traditionally downtrodden conference foes has become problematic.

The loss, which ended a seven-game winning streak against the Matadors, dropped the No. 13-ranked Anteaters to 30-12, 8-7 in conference.

And with no fewer than five teams ahead of UCI in the Big West standings, the array of scenarios in which Coach Mike Gillespie’s squad can still wind up on top, is diminishing faster than a UCI offense that produced just six runs and 17 hits in three games at Northridge, arguably, the conference’s most hitter-friendly park.

“I’m mystified as to why we can’t make more consistent, hard contact,” said Gillespie, after Northridge freshman starter Ryan Juarez became the latest Matador to find magic on the mound against UCI.

Juarez, who entered with a 5.81 earned-run average, allowed one run on three hits through seven innings Sunday. And when the hosts scored four runs, three unearned, in their half of the seventh, he would up with his third win against two losses.

Junior closer Edwin Quirarte threw two scoreless innings, allowing two hits, to post his seventh save, upping Northridge’s record to 20-24, 6-12.

Saturday, it was senior Philip Hann, against whom foes had been hitting .302, who gave his best Brandon Webb impersonation, allowing just four hits and one run in 8 2/3 innings, paring his ERA from 4.62 to 4.17, despite absorbing the 1-0 loss.

The ill-fated seventh inning Sunday was a virtual culture dish of unhealthy symptoms that have plagued the Anteaters in recent weeks, during which they have forged an 8-7 record after a 22-5 start.

Bibona, a sophomore left-hander, continued his trend of mastering opponents through five innings. He retired the first 11 Matadors and had a one-hit shutout heading into the sixth. He worked through the sixth after allowing a leadoff single, then posted his eighth strikeout of the game to open the seventh.

But, also true to his pattern in two of his three previous conference starts, he appeared to tire quickly in the seventh. He surrendered a one-out single to Chris Hannick, then issued his first walk of the game to Ryan Pineda to create a Northridge uprising.

Bibona induced a would-be double-play grounder to third baseman Eric Deragisch, but Deragisch threw high to second for an error, creating a bases-loaded situation.

Deragisch rebounded by diving to his right to knock down an infield single by freshman pinch-hitter Dominic D’Anna that plated the tying run and left the bases loaded.

Jason Dabbs hit a sharp grounder to first baseman Josh Tavelli, who stepped on first, then threw home to try to nail Pineda trying to score. But UCI catcher Francis Larson, filling in for defensive wizard Aaron Lowenstein, failed to squeeze Tavelli’s throw, which was about three feet right of the plate, allowing Pineda to slide in safety with what turned out to be the winning run.

A subsequent single by TS Reed drove in two more runs to chase Bibona, against whom three runs were unearned.

“Bibona pitched very well,” Gillespie said of the left-hander, who fell to 6-2. “Larson blocked [pitches in the dirt] real well and Tavelli [who sprawled to dig out a medium-hop throw from second baseman Casey Stevenson to end the seventh] made two big plays.

“When you lose a low-scoring game, chances are you created extra opportunities for them and we did that,” Gillespie said. “I think we wasted another real good pitching performance.”

With just one run — scored by Larson who doubled to open the fourth, advanced on a balk and came home on a Brock Bardeen groundout — UCI outscored the Matadors, 6-5, in the series. In last season’s three-game sweep at Anteater Ballpark, UCI produced a 30-3 advantage. During the seven-game winning streak, UCI outscored the Matadors, 41-5.

“We hit into three, or four, or five tough outs,” Gillespie said. “It was a tough loss.”

Gillespie agreed that with Fullerton (13-5), UC Riverside (10-5) and the trio of Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis (all, 9-6), the road to a conference crown is inconveniently clogged. And Gillespie said other issues have become pressing.

“I think we’re battling for our playoff lives,” Gillespie said. “Obviously, the numbers tell us the conference championship is still possible. But first things first.”

UCI visits UC Riverside for a nonconference game Tuesday, then plays host to last-place Pacific for a three-game Big West series beginning Friday.

The Anteaters are at UC Davis, May 16-18, then close out the conference schedule with visiting UCSB, May 23-25.

Junior shortstop Ben Orloff went two for three to lead UCI Sunday, while sophomore right fielder Sean Madigan nailed a runner at the plate with a strong throw to add to the ‘Eaters’ defensive gems.

Sophomore Kyle Necke pitched 1 1/3 inning of hitless relief to provide another UCI highlight.

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Big West Conference

Cal State Northridge 4, UC Irvine 1

SCORE BY INNINGS

Bibona, Necke (7) and Larson; Juarez, Quirarte (8) and Hannick, Parham (8). W – Juarez, 3-2. L – Bibona, 6-2. Sv – Quirarte (7). 2B – Larson (UCI), Cates (CSN).

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