Jason Gorman hit a two-run homer in the top of the first and Bill Murphy
made it stand up as No. 23 Cal State Northridge beat 11th-ranked Cal State
Fullerton, 2-1, in a Big West Conference battle at Goodwin Field Friday
night.
The Titans, who had their seven-game winning streak snapped, fell to 29-13
overall and 10-3 in Big West play. The Matadors improved to 30-13 and
10-3. With Long Beach's loss to UC Irvine, Northridge and Fullerton are
tied for first in the Big West, just a half-game up on the 49ers.
Murphy, who improved to a Big West-best 9-2, went the distance for the
Matadors and beat Titan starter Wes Littleton (7-3) in a fantastic pitcher's
duel. The only blemishes for each were first-inning homers, the difference
being that Northridge's came with a man on.
After Littleton hit Ryan Haag to open the game, Gorman deposited Littleton's
first offering over the left field fence for a 2-0 lead. The Titans cut
the lead in half in the bottom of the inning, when Jason Corapci blasted
a solo shot to left. From then on, it was all zeroes.
The Titans managed just two hits after the third inning and one of those
was a bunt single by Justin Smyres. Murphy did walk six, but the Titans
stranded eight runners. The Titans' best chance came in the fifth, when
they had runners at first and second with one out and Shane Costa –
the leading hitter in the Big West – at the plate. But Murphy got
Costa to fly out and induced an inning-ending ground-out from Corapci.
Chris Stringfellow also grounded out to end the eighth inning with a runner
in scoring position.
Littleton, meanwhile, allowed just four hits and fanned a career-high
11 batters in eight-plus innings. He walked just one – the first
batter in the ninth – to prompt the Titans to bring on Chad Cordero.
Cordero struck out one in a scoreless inning of work.
Corapci, who was 2-for-3, was the only player with multiple hits. Costa
was 0-for-4 to snap his 22-game hitting streak, the longest by a Titan
in three seasons.
The two teams will continue the three-game series on Saturday at 1 p.m.
