Jason Corapci drove in a career-high tying four runs and Shane Costa had
three hits to back a solid start by Darric Merrell as No. 16 Cal State
Fullerton pounded UNLV, 16-1, in a nonconference baseball game at Goodwin
Field Saturday afternoon.
The Titans, who have outscored the Rebels, 28-3, in the first two games
of the series, improved to 5-3 and have won five of their last six games.
UNLV, which has lost nine consecutive games to Fullerton, dropped to 4-4.
Ten different Titans had hits in Saturday's 15-hit attack and eight players
drove in at least one run. Costa had RBI-hits in each of his first three
at bats, including two hits in the Titans' six-run third inning. He led
off the inning with his first career homer.
Corapci, who has his safely in all eight games this season, had a two-run
single in the third and added a two-run double in the fourth.
A day after jumping on the Rebels for five first-inning runs, the Titans
punished UNLV starter Jared Bonnell (0-1) with a four-run first. Chris
Stringfellow, batting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season,
turned the first pitch he saw into a double off the center field wall.
Costa had a run-scoring double to bring home the first run and Richie
Burgos singled to left-center to make it 2-0. With two outs in the frame,
Mike Martinez hit a high chopper on the infield that glanced off Bonnell's
glove. By the time second baseman Garett Shitanishi recovered the ball,
two more runs had scored.
The Titans scored a combined 10 runs in the third and fourth innings.
Six Titans reached base twice in that span, including Justin Smyres, who
had RBI-singles in each inning.
UNLV scored its lone run in the fifth, when Shitanishi grounded into a
bases-loaded 4-6-3 double play to plate Robert VanKirk.
Merrell (2-0) allowed just one run on four hits in six strong innings.
Travis Ingle pitched two scoreless innings (and has yet to give up a run
in 5.1 innings this season) and Tim Jimenez debuted with a scoreless ninth,
though he did walk the bases loaded.
Fullerton's Jordan DeJong will make his first start of the season against
the Rebels on Sunday in the 1 p.m. series finale.
