A Texas-sized triumph

ROUND ROCK, Texas — Coach Dave Serrano called it the biggest and the best weekend in UC Irvine baseball history. But in this time of historic achievements du jour for the Anteaters’ program, the NCAA Regional-clinching 9-6 victory over tradition-rich Texas Monday at Dell Diamond was followed quickly by a disclaimer.

“Until next weekend,” said Serrano, referring to the Super Regional, college baseball’s version of the Sweet 16, where the Anteaters (43-15-1) will visit Wichita State (53-20) for a best-of-three series that begins Saturday.

The winner of the Super Regional will earn one of eight bids to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., June 15-25.

The Anteaters, ranked No. 9 in the most recent Baseball America poll, needed two days to finish off host Texas (46-17), the No. 4 national seed and the top seed in this four-team regional.

UCI, called by Texas Coach Augie Garrido the best No. 2 [regional] seed in the country, closed out the Longhorns, 9-6, Monday, in the conclusion of a game that was suspended by rain midway through the seventh inning with the ‘Eaters leading, 6-5, Sunday.

“It just delayed the inevitable in our mind,” Serrano said of the more-than-14-hour delay before the game was resumed in the bottom of the seventh Monday. “I know there was disappointment when I went in and told the players that the game had been [suspended], because they all kind of felt that they had tasted it coming and they’ve waited a long time. I’ll go back to last weekend, when we had the opportunity to win the Big West Conference championship taken away from us on Saturday [with a loss at UC Riverside].

I knew this team wasn’t going to allow something to be taken away from it again. [The rain] just kind of delayed the opportunity for us to enjoy everything we’ve accomplished together to this point.”

That celebration culminated in the form of a dog pile behind the mound, after Wes Etheridge, UCI’s third pitcher of the day and sixth of the game, induced a fielder’s choice grounder to shortstop Ben Orloff that ended Texas’ season and left the bases loaded.

Originally thought to benefit a beleaguered Texas pitching staff, the rain-induced extension helped UCI line up its pitching for the final six outs Monday.

“The plan was to use Scott [Gorgen, who pitched a five-hit complete game in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Texas] for three [outs] and Blair [Erickson, the NCAA career saves leader with 53] for three,” said Serrano, who is also the pitching coach.

That plan, known only to the team at the time, appeared to be working like clockwork when Gorgen pitched a perfect eighth.

The UCI fortunes brightened yet again when a pair of Texas errors, combined with a two-out, two-run double by junior third baseman Tyler Vaughn, helped the designated home team tack on three runs and forge a 9-5 lead in the eighth.

Bryan Petersen started the rally by reaching on a one-out error. Dillon Bell, who got his first collegiate hit in the final regular-season game last week, looped a pinch-hit single to right and the return throw from right fielder Kyle Russell went over third base and into the dugout on the play. The error allowed Petersen to score and put Bell on third.

Ollie Linton was hit by a pitch and stole second, where he remained when Aaron Lowenstein lined to right.

Vaughn then doubled to right-center field to cap the outburst, one of three three-run innings in the game for the Anteaters.

But a four-run lead suddenly looked tenuous when Erickson, making his first appearance in the regional, gave up a leadoff single, followed by a double, a strikeout and a walk. With the bases loaded, Serrano brought in rubber-armed Etheridge, who pitched eight innings in the regional-opening win over Wake Forest Friday.

“We weren’t going to let that lead go,” Serrano said. “That’s why I pulled out what would have been our Game 7 starter, Wes Etheridge, to close the door. [With Erickson] having a tough time finding the strike zone, we were going to finish it off with our best. That’s why Scotty got the call in the eighth. [Gorgen] probably could have gone to the ninth, but I was very sensitive to the fact that it was [two days] after throwing 109 pitches.”

Etheridge walked Bradley Suttle to force in a run, but struck out pinch-hitter Clay Van Hook, before Chais Fuller grounded to Orloff, who relayed to second baseman Cody Cipriano covering second for the final out.

Dylan Axelrod, who relieved starter Eric Pettis in the sixth inning Sunday, earned the victory for UCI.

“They say everything’s big in Texas, but I don’t know if it’s bigger than the heart of this baseball team,” Serrano said. “These young men are fighters, not quitters. They’re warriors.”

Taylor Holiday, who went seven for 15 with six runs and one RBI in the tournament, was named the regional’s Most Outstanding Player.

“[Winning a regional] is an unbelievable feeling,” said Holiday, who was joined on the all-regional team by Etheridge, Gorgen, Lowenstein, Cipriano and Linton. “When that last out was recorded, it was pretty special. I don’t want to say we expected it, but we’ve worked toward this goal and we’ve had it in mind. It’s a great accomplishment and we’re really excited, but it’s something we believed we could achieve.”

Said Garrido, for whom Serrano played at Cal State Fullerton in 1986: “The obvious is that UCI played the best baseball in this tournament and deserved to win. Our hats are off to them for some brilliant baseball.”

BARRY FAULKNER can be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].

UC Irvine 9, Texas

Score by Innings

Texas 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 1 - 6 13 2

UCI 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 3 x - 9 10 0

Wood, Shinaberry (3), Krebs (5), Boone (8), McCrory (8) and Lewis; Pettis, Axelrod (6), Calahan (7), Gorgen (8), Erickson (9), Etheridge (9) and Lowenstein. W -- Axelrod, 4-4. L -- Shinaberry, 0-2. Sv -- Etheridge (1). 2B -- Fuller (UT) 2, Danks (UT), Prince (UT), Lewis (UT), Tucker (UT), Cipriano (UCI) 2, Petersen (UCI), Vaughn (UCI). 3B -- Cusick (UCI).

NCAA Regional