Junior right-handed Ben Fritz shutout Cal State Fullerton over the final
eight innings and picked up a complete game win as Fresno State avoided
a three-game sweep with a 10-4 win over No. 15 Cal State Fullerton at
Goodwin Field Sunday afternoon.
Fresno State (2-4) snapped a four-game losing streak and beat the Titans
for the first time in nine tries. Cal State Fullerton (3-3) had its three-game
winning streak snapped.
Fritz (1-1), who hurled 146 pitches on the day, allowed four runs on five
hits in the first inning, but scattered five hits the rest of the way.
Fullerton junior Jeff Housman (0-2) picked up his second consecutive loss,
allowing eight runs (three earned) on 10 hits in 4.2 innings. Travis Esquibel,
Travis Ingle – who pitched 2.1 scoreless innings – and Chad
Cordero also pitched for the Titans.
Fresno State grabbed a 3-0 lead on Housman in the first on five hits,
including four in a row over one stretch. The Titans, however, answered
with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Chris Stringfellow and Shane
Costa had back-to-back doubles for the first run. An RBI-single by Richie
Burgos made it 3-2 and Jason Corapci followed with a single to right-center
to put runners on the corners. Mike Martinez, who had eight RBI on Saturday,
drove in Burgos for the Titans' third run and Corapci followed home when
Bulldog right fielder Tobey Riday-White sailed a throw into Fullerton's
dugout.
But the Titans' defense, which committed a season-high four errors and
allowed five unearned runs, helped the Bulldogs take a 5-4 lead in the
third. With runners on first and third and one out, Casey McGehee lofted
a fly ball to center field. Chris Stringfellow made the catch and followed
with a perfect throw to the plate in an attempt to double up Fritz, but
catcher P.J. Pilittere mishandled the throw. A subsequent RBI-single by
Brian Pierce gave the Bulldogs the decisive run.
Errors by shortstop David Munoz – his second of the game –
and Jason Corapci plated three more runs in the fifth and Fresno State
added single runs in the sixth and ninth innings.
Fritz sailed along until the seventh, when the Titans
posed their first significant threat since the first. Fullerton loaded
the bases with one out for cleanup hitter Kyle Boyer, but Boyer sliced
a line drive right back at Fritz, who doubled up Justin Smyres at third
for the third out.
Burgos had three hits on the day to lead the Titans while Costa was 2-for-3
with his fourth double. Riday-White was 3-for-6 for the Bulldogs, who
had 17 hits, while McGehee was 3-for-5 with two RBI.
Fullerton will host UNLV next weekend. Fresno State plays host to No.
1 Stanford.
