Anteaters silenced

For a photo gallery of this game, click here.

IRVINE — UC Irvine baseball fans were all rounded up with not a great deal to cheer Friday night.

Intent on giving former Coach Dave Serrano and his Cal State Fullerton Titans a rude homecoming, it was instead the visitors who made things uncomfortable for most of the record crowd of 3,176 that all but filled Anteater Ballpark for a 12-5 Fullerton victory.

For while the Anteater backers were out in force, it was largely volumn without volume for the home rooters, who even resisted public-address musical prompting such as “duh, duh, duh dum, de dum … (Charge!).”

The UCI faithful did erupt during a three-run sixth, but that was just about the only decibel spike registered by the biggest crowd since UCI brought back baseball for the 2002 season. And those three runs came courtesy of a blown rundown by the Titans that extended the inning.

The ticket buyers weren’t the only ones quiet in the Big West Conference series opener, as the UCI offense was largely muffled by Fullerton senior right-hander Jeff Kaplan, who worked a season-long 7 2/3 innings to pick up his fourth win in five decisions this season. It was Kaplan’s longest outing since May 26 of last season, a span of 10 starts. Kaplan, now 2-0 against teams ranked in the top five this season, surrendered seven hits, including a solo home run by Casey Stevenson that chased him in the eighth.

The bad news began in the first for UCI (19-4, 2-2 in conference), which came in ranked No. 4 by Collegiate Baseball. Titans leadoff man Josh Fellhauer singled to end an eight-pitch at-bat, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single by junior left fielder Erik Komatsu, a transfer from Vanguard University.

But the little ball Serrano popularized with UCI fans his previous three seasons at the Anteaters’ helm, was nowhere to be found in the Fullerton third, when Fellhauer, who threw a UCI runner out at the plate to extend the longest game in College World Series history last summer, followed a one-out single with a two-run homer well over the right-field wall.

One out later, with UCI supporters still biting their collective lip, Komatsu yanked a solo homer inside the right-field foul pole and the visitors led, 4-0.

UCI starter and ace Scott Gorgen suffered his second loss in seven decisions, giving up four runs, all earned, and six hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked one. It was the second straight start he surrendered two home runs, after doing so against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on March 28.

“He wasn’t himself,” UCI Coach Mike Gillespie said of Gorgen, who did not allow a run in 14 2/3 innings against Fullerton last season. “He got behind, he was missing the zone and you all saw what happened. Balls don’t get out of here very easily, at any time, let alone at night. And Fellhauer and Komatsu put a charge into those two [home runs].”

Fullerton (17-9, 3-1), ranked No. 19 by the Collegiate Baseball Writers Assn., amassed 14 hits against five UCI hurlers, winning for the eighth time in their last nine games. The 12 runs was the most allowed by the Anteaters this season.

Serrano said his return was emotional, as expected, but the victory made things all the more enjoyable.

“[The record crowd, which surpassed the 3,083 who witnessed UCI’s home opener in 2002] was good for Division I baseball and Orange County,” Serrano said. “It was exciting to see this place packed. A lot of fans were out here, and I’m more excited that we played good baseball tonight. I’m very proud of my guys.

“It was neat [coming back],” Serrano said. “This is a neat place. I have very fond memories of this place. Just to walk in and see those [Irvine] young men across the way, who I have very deep feelings for. It was a little emotional, once I set my bag down.

“It’s a little like playing checkers against your son. I mean, you want to beat him bad but, win or lose, you’re still going to love them at the end.”

Gillespie said the crowd was less intense than one might find at Texas, but he was reluctant to blame the spectators for any lack of support.

“I have a hard time criticizing this crowd,” Gillespie said. “I personally was impressed that we got this great number of people out here and I’m disappointed we didn’t put on a better show. We’d all like to see these kinds of crowds at college baseball games, wherever they are. That was great. I’m glad they came and I hope they’re not so turned off that they won’t come back [today].

Gillespie called Stevenson’s first UCI home run a bright spot. Stevenson was two for four with one RBI, as was sophomore designated hitter Francis Larson.

Sophomore second baseman Ryan Fisher was three for four with two RBIs, both on his two-out triple in the sixth.

Komatsu was four for four with two RBIs and three runs, while Fellhauer was three for five with three RBIs for the Titans.

Big West Conference

CSU Fullerton 12, UC Irvine 5

SCORE BY INNINGS

Kaplan, Dovel (8), Wilson (9), Ackland (9) and Garneau; Gorgen, Necke (7), Avison (7), Dufour (7), Slaught (8) and Lowenstein. W – Kaplan, 4-1. L – Gorgen, 5-2. 3B – Jones (CSUF); Linton (UCI), Fisher (UCI). HR – Fellhauer (CSUF), Komatsu (CSUF); Stevenson (UCI).

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