Littleton Picks Up Win as Titans Roll at Home Apr. 17, 2003 – Fullerton, Calif.
Box Score
Wes Littleton pitched seven strong innings to pick up his fifth win and
Justin Smyres hit a two-run homer to highlight No. 2 Cal State Fullerton's
8-3 win over UC Santa Barbara in a Big West Conference game at Goodwin
Field Thursday night.
The Titans, who have won eight of their past nine game, improved to 32-8
overall and 6-1 in Big West play. Fullerton is also now 20-0 at home.
The Gauchos dropped to 18-19 overall and 1-6 in conference action.
Littleton (5-1), who was perfect through the first four innings, scattered
four hits in seven-plus innings. He left the game with the bases loaded
in the eighth and the shutout still intact, but all three runs scored
off Titan reliever Sean Martin. Chad Cordero picked up for Martin to get
the final out in the eighth and retired the side in order in the ninth
for his fourth save and 30th of his career.
Fullerton grabbed a 4-0 lead in the second against Gaucho starter Sean
Thompson (5-4), though three of the runs went down as unearned thanks
to an error by Gaucho shortstop Josh Fulton. Justin Turner's RBI-single
got the Titans on the board and Shane Costa followed with an RBI-double.
Kyle Boyer and Richie Burgos also picked up RBI in the frame.
Fullerton took advantage of more miscues in the fourth, scoring once on
a passed ball and again on another error by Fulton to take a 6-0 lead.
Justin Smyres' two-run homer -- his first since Feb. 8 -- in the eighth
gave the Titans their final cushion. Turner followed with a single, which
chased Thompson one out shy of a complete game.
David Fischer, Turner and Smyres each had two hits for the Titans.
Fullerton will host the Gauchos in the second game of the series on Friday
night at 7 p.m.
