‘Eaters bridge gap, win

FULLERTON — The UC Irvine baseball program has, for years, been trying to bridge the gap, both real and perceived, between itself and its Orange County neighbors and Big West Conference rivals at Cal State Fullerton.

This season, the Anteaters have also been looking for a bullpen bridge between their starters and All-American closer Eric Pettis.

No. 8-ranked UCI used the latter to help accomplish the former Saturday at Goodwin Field, claiming a 6-1 Big West victory over the top-ranked hosts, who had a season-best home crowd of 3,056.

The win clinched the three-game series victory for the ’Eaters (19-7, 5-0 in conference), who won, 2-1, Friday. It’s only the second time UCI has prevailed in the last 15 conference series between the two.

It was the second time in three seasons the Anteaters have won at least two of three from the Titans (19-7, 2-3), who have now lost three straight.

It’s the first time in UCI history that it has opened conference play with five straight wins.

But in addition to making history and earning bragging rights, UCI can boast about an atypically strong bullpen outing provided by senior Brock Bardeen.

Bardeen pitched 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief, striking out three and allowing just two hits to earn his first collegiate save. The right-hander, who came in with a 4-0 record, but a 7.50 earned-run average that is not an aberration among UCI non-starters, helped starter Christian Bergman collect his fourth win in five decisions.

“Brock was phenomenal,” said UCI junior first baseman Jeff Cusick, who ignited the offense with a three-run home run in the first inning off Fullerton starter Noe Ramirez.

Bardeen entered with two outs in the sixth with runners on first and second. He promptly struck out Jeff Newman, who had singled in his first two at-bats.

“[Bardeen] really picked us up,” Gillespie said.

UCI then expanded its 3-1 lead with a single run in the eighth and two in the ninth, allowing Pettis to save himself for a potential appearance in today’s series finale, which begins at 1.

“When you go into the [sixth] with a lead, you’ve got to have a guy who can get you to the ninth and that was exactly what we needed,” Cusick said of Bardeen, “He came out, got ahead of hitters and threw strikes. You can’t ask for anything more than that.”

UCI could not have asked much more of Bergman, who surrendered one run on seven hits in 5 2/3 . But he exited having thrown 105 pitches.

“I think he did real well,” UCI Coach Mike Gillespie said of Bergman. “It ended up being more pitches than either he would want to throw or we would want him to throw, so we had to end up getting him out of there.”

Bergman benefited from a 6-4-3 double play to end the first after Fullerton had back-to-back one-out singles.

Bergman, however, was struck on the left (non-throwing) forearm by a comebacker off the bat of Newman in the third.

Bergman never flinched, or even touched the injury, but a trainer came to take a look and Gillespie revealed it struck him harder than Bergman’s reaction may have indicated.

“It wasn’t a glancing blow,” Gillespie said. “That really got him good, so I think he really passed the tough-guy test. We had to wonder if he could go back out and give us another inning or two. I think he really competed.”

Cusick, who has been surging of late after opening the season hitting .167 in his first 14 games, blasted a drive over the left-field wall to give UCI all it would need.

It was Cusick’s first home run since May 13, 2007, a span of 103 UCI games.

“It was a long time ago,” Cusick admitted of his last dinger. “But it was a good start to the game for our team.”

Gillespie said it was also opportunistic.

“[Ramirez, who absorbed his first loss in four decisions] is a really good freshman,” Gillespie said. “[The homer] was one of the few times he missed. It sat there in the middle [of the plate] and Cusick got it all. Good for him.”

Senior shortstop Ben Orloff went two for four with a run batted in and junior Francis Larson went two for four for the second straight night to pace UCI’s nine-hit attack.

Senior right fielder Eric Deragisch was one for three with an RBI to extend his hitting streak to 12 games.

Dustin Garneau drove in the run for Fullerton, which has now scored three runs combined in its last three games.

Big West Conference

UC Irvine 6, Cal State Fullerton 1

SCORE BY INNINGS

Bergman, Bardeen (7) and Larson; N. Ramirez, Witten (8), Rath (9), Mertins (9), Ackland (9) and Garneau. W – Bergman, 4-1. L – N. Ramirez, 3-1. Sv – Bardeen (1). Pettis (9). 2B – Fellhauer (CSF). HR – Cusick (UCI).

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