Nicholas Sekiya's two-out bloop single off Travis Ingle in the fifth scored
the go-ahead runs as the Tigers rallied from five runs down to upset No.
13 Cal State Fullerton, 8-7, in a Big West Conference game at Billy Hebert
Field Saturday afternoon.
The Titans, who had their 10-game winning streak against Pacific snapped,
fell to 22-12 overall and 6-2 in conference play. The Tigers improved
to 18-14-1 and 3-5. Shane Costa, who went 3-for-3 with a walk and a sac
bunt, extended his hitting streak to 16 games.
Fullerton had runners on first and third with one out in the top of the
ninth inning, but Pacific closer Ryan Jurvakainen, who notched his fifth
save, got Richie Burgos to ground into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.
That preserved a win for Matthew Pena (2-5), who allowed just two hits
in three innings of relief.
Fullerton scored five unearned runs in the first inning off Pacific starter
James Stanford. The Titans got a two-run bases-loaded single off the left-field
wall by Chris Stringfellow (who was called out on the basepath for interference)
and David Fischer followed with his first homer, a two-run shot to left-center
to make it 5-0.
But after scoring once in the third off Merrell, Pacific rallied for four
runs in the fourth, using four consecutive singles (including three by
the bottom three hitters in the lineup) to tie the game and chase Merrell.
Merrell was charged for five runs on seven hits (and three hit batters)
in 3.2 innings.
Burgos led off the fifth with a double and scored on Geoff Comfort's third
single and Chris Stringfellow later scored on the back end of a delayed
double steal to give the Titans a two-run lead. But Ingle, who had not
allowed more than one run in any of his previous 10 appearances, was tagged
for three runs in the bottom of the fifth, with Sekiya's single plating
Adam Alverson and Michael Fitzgerald.
Pena allowed just two hits in his three innings, but was lifted in the
ninth after Justin Smyres drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on Costa's
sac bunt. Jurvakainen gave up a bloop single to Corapci before getting
Burgos to ground into a double play.
The Titans and Tigers will meet for the rubber game of f the three-game
set on Sunday at 11 a.m.
