Junior Kurt Suzuki's single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh
drove home the game-winning run and senior Jason Windsor pitched his second
complete game of the College World Series to earn Most Outstanding Player
honors as Cal State Fullerton captured its fourth NCAA National Championship
with a 3-2 victory over top-seeded Texas on Sunday afternoon at Rosenblatt
Stadium.
The Titans won their first national title since
1995 and have emerged as baseball's national champions in each of the
last four decades (1979, 1984, 1995, 2004). Fullerton's four national
titles tie the Titans with Miami for the fifth-most by any school.
Cal State Fullerton finished its season at 47-22 overall, 11-2 in postseason
play, and won the Big West Championship with a 19-2 mark. Texas finished
its season 58-15 overall, losing only twice in the postseason -- both
times coming in the National Championship Series.
Trailing by two runs entering the seventh, sophomore Bobby Andrews got
things started with a one-out single to left to knock Texas starter Sam
LeCure out of the game. In a series of match-ups, left-hander Sergio Pedroza
was inserted as a pinch-hitter for Neil Walton, but he would never get
to the plate as LeCure was lifted in favor of southpaw Buck Cody.
Fullerton Head Coach George Horton then sent right-hand hitting Brett
Pill to the plate to hit for Pedroza and it turned out to be the catalyst
for the Titans' comeback. Pill took the first pitch from Cody and laced
it down the left field line for a triple, scoring Andrews from first and
cutting the Longhorns' lead to 2-1.
Pill was replaced by pinch-runner Brandon Tripp, who would score on a
wild pitch to tie the score at 2-2.
Sophomore Ronnie Prettyman kept the rally going, reaching base when his
ground ball to short was thrown wide by shortstop Michael Holliman.
J. Brent Cox then entered the game for Texas and gave up an infield single
to Justin Turner on his third pitch of the game. After a strikeout, Suzuki
then strode to the plate and rapped a 1-1 pitch from Cox through the left
side and into left field, scoring Prettyman with the game-winning run.
Windsor, who combined to throw 322 pitches in three games during the College
World Series, then set the side down in order in the eighth, and surrendered
a one-out single in the ninth before getting Hunter Harris to strikeout
and David Maroul to fly out to Andrews in right to end the game.
Windsor (13-4) tossed his 11th complete game of the season, surrendering
two runs on five hits, walking one and striking out 10 in winning his
12th consecutive start. Cody (1-2) faced only two batters in the loss,
allowing two runs on a hit.
The Longhorns struck first in this game, loading the bases with two outs
thanks to a leadoff double by Dooley Prince, a hit batter and a walk.
That brought up Harris, who singled back through the middle, plating a
pair for the 2-0 lead.
Windsor worked out of the jam, stranding a pair in scoring position by
striking out David Maroul to end the inning. After the two runs, Windsor
allowed just three base hits over the final eight innings and allowed
just one runner to reach second base during that span.
Three Titans were named to the All-College World Series Team as designated
hitter Felipe Garcia, Windsor, and sophomore Ricky Romero were all elected
by the media.
EXTRA BASES: Texas had won 24 of 27 games this season
in which it had scored first until Sunday's game... Jason Windsor finished
5-0 this postseason with a 0.61 ERA and his first career save (June 21
vs. Miami)... Cal State Fullerton had two pitchers win 13-or-more games
for the fifth time in the history of the program (the last four coming
during the national championship seasons of 1979, 1984, and 1995 and during
the national-runner up finish of 1992)... Fullerton finished 17-10 against
ranked teams this season, winning 15 of the past 16 games against top-25
competition.
