LINCOLN REGIONAL:

LINCOLN, Neb. — More used to throwing quality pitches than opening punches, the UC Irvine baseball team served early notice to Oral Roberts that there were two dangerous groups of hitters reaching from the bat racks Friday night.

Expected to wage a battle between Anteaters’ junior All-American pitcher Scott Gorgen and a Golden Eagles offense ranked 10th nationally in runs and 13th in batting average, the Anteaters (39-16) erupted for six runs in the first on their way to a 9-7 victory in the opening round of the Lincoln Regional in front of 3,121 at the University of Nebraska’s Hawks Field at Haymarket Park.

The win sets up a winner’s bracket clash today against host Nebraska (41-14-1), which outlasted Eastern Illinois, 13-10, earlier Friday, in the four-team, double-elimination tournament.

UCI sophomore Danny Bibona (8-3 with a 3.10 earned-run average), UCI’s Sunday starter during the regular season, will oppose Cornhuskers’ senior ace Johnny Dorn (6-1, 2.38) in the game scheduled for 5:05 p.m.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t until Gorgen was knocked from the game in the sixth inning, after allowing a season-high six earned runs, that UCI asserted its dominance on the mound.

Sophomore Christian Bergman pitched two innings, allowing only a solo home run to senior All-American Brian Van Kirk, before relievers Tom Calahan and Eric Pettis combined to blank the Golden Eagles (46-13) in the final two frames.

Calahan, a senior left-hander, struck out left-handed hitting Michael Notaro to open the eighth.

Pettis, an All-American whose 16th save moved him one shy of tying the school single-season record held by Blair Erickson, then fanned the next two hitters to protect what was then an 8-7 lead.

After UCI added an insurance run in the eighth, Pettis made it five strikeouts in a row for UCI pitchers by fanning leadoff man Brendan Duffy to start the ninth.

But Pettis then surrendered a double and two walks to load the bases. Adjusting to a mechanical problem, he righted himself quickly to strike out Ryan Groth for the second out.

Pettis then induced senior third baseman David Genaro, who was three for four to that point, to ground to short for a game-ending fielder’s choice.

“I really think all three of the guys came in [from the bullpen] really picked us up,” UCI Coach Mike Gillespie said. “There was drama, but we love it.”

It was trauma the UCI offense created against Oral Roberts starter Michael Jarmen, who lasted just 1/3 of an inning, the first time in 15 starts this season that he did last at least five innings.

Junior center fielder Ollie Linton walked to open the outburst, UCI’s most productive first inning of the season. After Ben Orloff struck out, Jeff Cusick walked and Tony Asaro drove the first of his three hits into center field for a run-producing single.

Francis Larson followed with an RBI single and Josh Tavelli was hit by a pitch, setting the table for Dillon Bell’s two-run single.

After Eric Deragisch walked to make it six consecutive Anteaters to reach, Jarman was yanked in favor of junior Mark Serrano.

An Aaron Lowenstein grounder to short plated another run and Linton, who reached four times in five plate appearances and stole two bases as a consistent catalyst, singled in the sixth run of the frame.

But Gorgen, who surrendered just six runs in 28 postseason innings as a sophomore to help lead the Anteaters to the program’s first Division I College World Series, surrendered six runs, all earned, on nine hits in five-plus innings. He walked three and struck out six.

“I really think the credit goes to Oral Roberts,” Gillespie said. “The [Gorgen] pitches that got hit are pitches that don’t get hit by everybody. I thought Gorgen was Gorgen. I frankly didn’t think he was dramatically different that what we’ve seen.”

Genaro said it was patience and a solid scouting report that helped them score more runs against Gorgen than any opponent this season.

“We knew he was a fastball and change-up guy, so we worked against the fastball and change in practice,” said Genaro, who blasted a two-run home run to center to open the Oral Roberts scoring in the second. “We left alone the change-ups down, and when he got a fastball over the plate, we covered it.”

Linton covered substantial ground in center and on the base paths. His presence on the bases contributed to what Oral Roberts Coach Rob Walton said was a loss of focus by Jarman.

“I think the biggest thing was, we didn’t pitch,” Walton said. “[Jarman] hasn’t thrown the ball like that in a year. And, as good as Irvine is, you can’t spot them six runs and expect to win.”

Linton, who upped his school single-season and career stolen base records to 39 and 68, respectively, said he was just doing his job.

“We knew our offense had to come out and pick us up tonight,” said Linton, who drew seven pickoff throws to first after reaching to open the game, then stole second (he later stole third after doubling with two outs in the third, and scored on a wild pitch).

“Against a left-hander, I try to get a big enough lead to get a piece of [the pitcher’s] brain,” Linton said. “When he picks over and picks over, he’s trying to tire you out. But I still want to steal that bag in their face. Getting on base and causing havoc is my job. It’s what I need to do and I enjoy doing it.”

Asaro was three for five while Cusick and Deragisch were both two for three to help UCI outhit the Golden Eagles, 13-11.

Van Kirk, who came in hitting .421 with 17 homers and 72 RBIs, struck out three times against Gorgen, who earned the win to improve to 11-3.

It’s UCI’s fourth straight win in a regional, after they swept three games to win the Round Rock Regional last season.

NCAA Regional

UC Irvine 9, Oral Roberts 7

SCORE BY INNINGS

Jarman, Serrano (1) and Genao; Gorgen, Bergman (6), Calahan (8), Pettis (8) and Lowenstein. W – Gorgen, 11-3. L – Jarman, 11-3. Sv – Pettis (16). 2B – Minissale (ORU), Groth (ORU), Linton (UCI), Cusich (UCI), Asaro (UCI), Deragisch (UCI). HR – Van Kirk (ORU), Genao (ORU).

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