Junior Mike Martinez blasted a pair of two-run homers and drove in a career-high
eight runs as No. 15 Cal State Fullerton outslugged Fresno State, 17-11,
in a nonconference game at Goodwin Field Saturday afternoon.
Fullerton, which has won the last eight meetings with Fresno State, won
its third consecutive game to improve to 3-2. Fresno State dropped its
fourth in a row and fell to 1-4.
Martinez, who tied a career high with four hits, hit two-run homers in
the second and seventh innings and cleared the bases with a three-run
double in the eighth. Martinez – who batted just .119 as a sophomore
after a respectable freshman season – also drove in a run on a groundout
in the sixth inning.
The Titans' 20-hit attack was also bolstered by P.J. Pilittere, who had
a career-high four hits, including a solo homer in the third, the first
extra-base hit in his two-year career. Chris Stringfellow broke out of
an early season slump with three hits and four other Titans each had a
pair of knocks. Every starter scored at least one run for Fullerton.
In all, the two teams combined for 32 hits and six home runs (all to left
field) with gusty Santa Ana-condition winds blowing out to left all day.
Jordan DeJong (1-0), who allowed four runs over the final 3.2 innings,
picked up the win in relief of Darric Merrell, who was tagged for seven
runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings. Zach Minor, the third of seven Fresno
State pitchers, took the loss to fall to 0-1.
Fresno State set the tone early, with Ben Fritz and Tobey Riday-White
connecting for back-to-back homers off Merrell in the first. The Titans
would take a brief 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second before the Bulldogs
tied it up in the third. Fresno State grabbed a 6-3 lead in the fourth
when Chris Patrick singled in a pair and a third run scored on a botched
run-down by the Titans.
Pilittere's home run in the bottom of the fourth made it 6-4, but Fresno
State used a pair of doubles in the fifth to reclaim a three-run margin.
The momentum began to shift when DeJong relieved a struggling Merrell
in the sixth. DeJong, the Big West Pitcher of the Week last week, entered
with one out and induced an inning-ending double play. He set down the
Bulldogs in order in the seventh – one of just two times either
team went down in order – and the Titans, who had played catch-up
all day, finally had a chance to take a lead.
Fullerton broke a 7-7 tie with six runs in the seventh – with Kyle
Boyer's two-run triple and Martinez's second homer the key blows –
and added four more runs in the eighth. Fresno State got to DeJong for
three runs in the eighth and another in the ninth.
Fullerton will look for the series sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m.
NOTES: While the Fullerton record books do not indicate single-game records,
it is believed that Mark Kotsay's nine-RBI outing in an NCAA regional
game is the single-game record...Martinez had not a home run since his
freshman season and had never hit a homer at Goodwin Field...Costa has
been hit by a pitch four times already this season...Chad Cordero, who
saved the Titans' first two victories, was warming up in the bullpen before
the Titans scored four in the bottom of the eighth...The Titans have won
the last 52 games when they've led after the seventh inning.
