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Saarloos
Show Rolls Thru Long Beach in 5-3 Win Mar. 25, 2001 – Long Beach, Calif. Kirk Saarloos pitched his fifth complete game in as many starts and won his sixth consecutive decision as Cal State Fullerton's 24th-ranked baseball team beat Long Beach State, 5-3, in the rubber game of a three-game nonconference set at Blair Field. The Titans, who captured their fifth straight three-game series, improved to 15-10, while the 49ers fell to 14-10. Saarloos (6-2) allowed three runs on seven hits, while walking one and striking out nine. He allowed a pair of runs on three hits in the ninth inning before getting Chris Wright to ground into a game-ending double play. Saarloos' Big West Conference-best ERA rose from 1.07 to 1.32. The Titans jumped on top, 1-0, in the top of the first inning, when David Bacani was hit by a pitch, moved to third on Robert Guzman's single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jason Corapci. In the bottom of the first, Long Beach State leadoff hitter Bobby Crosby crushed Saarloos' third pitch over the left field wall to tie the game, 1-1. It was the first home run Saarloos had allowed since he surrendered back-to-back home runs to Stanford on Feb. 4. Fullerton grabbed the lead for good in the top of the second, thanks to wildness from Long Beach starter Matt Paz (4-4). Paz gave up a leadoff single to Mike Rouse and later in the inning, threw a pair of wild pitches, which allowed Rouse to score the Titans' second run. Guzman had an RBI single in the fifth and the Titans scored a pair of runs in the sixth, with designated hitter Aaron Rifkin connecting for his fifth home run. Rifkin, who had started the Titans' first 23 games at first base, returned to the lineup after a sprained ankle kept him out of Saturday's game. Guzman went 2-for-5 and Chris Stringfellow was 2-for-4. The Titans will face one of their toughest weeks of the season next week. They will host No. 9 Southern California on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and travel to Miami for a three-game series against the No. 6 Hurricanes next weekend. Box score
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