Chad Cordero worked in and out of danger in the ninth inning, eventually
slamming the door on a Pacific rally as No. 13 Cal State Fullerton held
off Pacific, 5-4, in a Big West Conference game at Billy Hebert Field
Friday afternoon.
The Titans, who have won 10 of their past 12 games, improved to 22-11
overall and 6-1 in conference play while the Tigers dropped to 17-14-1
and 2-5. The Titans have won 10 consecutive games against Pacific, though
this was the first one-run game during that span.
Cordero, who pitched the final 2.1 innings and picked up his 10th save
to tie him for first in the nation, was nursing a two-run lead when the
bottom of the ninth opened with a single by Joel Summers and a walk by
Aaron Harper. One out later, designated hitter Cory Lake grounded a single
up the middle to cut the lead to one run and put the tying run at second
base. But Cordero got James Stanford to fly out to right field and struck
out Michael Fitzgerald looking as the Tigers stranded two of their 11
runners on the game.
Cordero's work followed a solid, though not stellar, outing by sophomore
righthander Wes Littleton (7-2). Littleton scattered eight hits and walked
a career-high four in 6.2 innings, but allowed just a pair of unearned
runs. His ERA, which was the best in the conference and the eighth-best
in the nation entering the game, rose from 1.25 to 1.37. After Littleton
departed with one out in the seventh, Cordero came on and hit the first
two batters he faced (he had one HBP coming in) to load the bases. But
the Tigers left them loaded for the second time in as many innings.
Pacific starter Joel Lozano (4-1) was charged with the loss, though he
pitched well after a shaky first three innings. Lozano held the Titans
scoreless on just two hits over his final 4.1 innings before being lifted
in the top of the eighth.
Fullerton grabbed a 3-0 lead in the second on three singles, a pair of
walks and a wild pitch. P.J. Pilittere's two-out, two-run single plated
the game's first two runs and Chris Klosterman later scored on a wild
pitch. Geoff Comfort's two-run homer – his third of the year
– in the third gave Fullerton a 5-0 edge.
Littleton breezed along until the sixth. After Aaron Harper drew a one-out
walk from Littleton, the next four Pacific batters singled with Cory Lake
and Michael Fitzgerald both driving in runs. Klosterman's fielding error
on a slow roller off the bat of Octavio Amezquita cut the Titans' lead
to 5-3. The Tigers still had the bases loaded when the ninth batter of
the inning, Jeff Jodlowski, lined out to Littleton.
The Titans had a potential sixth run cut down at the plate in the top
of the seventh. Shane Costa drilled a two-out single to right field to
extend his hitting streak to 15 games, but Klosterman was ruled out on
a close play at home as he tried to score from second base.
Chris Stringfellow had a game-high three hits for the Titans and Harper
had three hits to pace Pacific.
The Titans and Tigers will meet for the second game of the three-game
set on Saturday at 1 p.m.
