Titans Cap Unthinkable Comeback with 10-9 Win Feb. 21, 2003 – Fullerton, Calif.
Box Score
Kyle Boyer's line drive single to left field off Zachary Basch scored
Shane Costa from second base in the bottom of the 14th inning as No. 6
Cal State Fullerton capped a miraculous comeback with a 10-9 win over
Nevada at Goodwin Field Friday night.
The Titans improved to 9-1 on the season with the win while the Wolf Pack
fell to 4-7. Jason Windsor (1-0) got the win for Titans, who had six pitchers
combine for 19 strikeouts. Basch (0-2) was tagged with the loss.
The Titans trailed, 9-0, heading into the bottom of the eighth, but scored
once in that frame and added eight runs in the bottom of the ninth to
force extra innings. The comeback is the biggest ever in Coach George
Horton's seven-year tenure and is likely the biggest ninth-inning comeback
in Titan history (complete records do not exist).
After Ronnie Prettyman struck out to open the ninth, the next 10 Titan
batters reached base via four singles, five walks and a hit batsmen. The
tying run scored with two outs when Wolf Pack second baseman Carlos Madrid
fielded a grounder off Boyer's bat and tried to force Joe Turgeon at second
base. But his toss to shortstop Robert Marcial wasn't in time and Neil
Walton scored the tying run. Fullerton tried to win the game when Marcial
threw wildly to first base in an attempt to still get Boyer, but Wolf
Pack first baseman Ben Mummy recovered in time to throw out Jason Corapci
at home.
Nevada had a chance to go ahead in the top of the 14th when Mummy reached
second on a two-base fielding error by shortstop Walton to open the frame.
Windsor -- the sixth Titan pitcher on the night -- then hit Kevin Kouzmanoff.
But the Titans forced the lead runner at third on a sacrifice attempt
by Tony Cappuccilli and then third baseman Corapci turned a 5-3 double
play on a sharply hit ball by Taylor Pullins.
Costa led off the bottom of the 14th with a single up the middle and stole
second before scoring the game-winning run to end the 4:21 affair.
Overlooked was the masterful pitching performance turned in by Nevada
starter Mateo Miramontes, who allowed a run on just three hits in 8.0
innings. He had a no-hitter broken up in the fifth on Boyer's bunt single,
but then just allowed one more hit before the Titans finally got on the
scoreboard in the eighth.
Titan All-American Wes Littleton struck out five of the first seven Nevada
batters to open the game, but the Wolf Pack opened a 3-0 lead in the third
on a two-run triple by Chris Dickerson and an RBI-single by Mike Hass.
Littleton gave up a solo homer to Cappuccilli in the fourth, an RBI-single
to Marical in the sixth and was rocked for back-to-back doubles to open
the eighth. John Tucker came on, but gave up a three-run double later
in the frame to stake the Wolf Pack to a 9-0 lead.
Costa, Boyer and Justin Turner each had two hits for Fullerton. Brett
Hayes was 3-for-7 with three RBI to pace Nevada.
The Titans and Wolf Pack will play the second game of the three-game series
on Saturday at 6 p.m.
