Jeff Van Houten had three hits and D.J. Lewis was 2-for-4 with three RBI
as 15th-ranked Arizona held on to beat No. 8 Cal State Fullerton, 10-6,
on Saturday at Kindall Field to clinch a series win over the Titans.
The Wildcats are off to a 5-0 start for the second time in Andy Lopez's
three seasons as the head coach. Fullerton, meanwhile, is 3-5 and has
already lost two series (the same number it lost in all of 2003). The
Titans have also dropped eight consecutive regular season road games dating
back to last season.
Fullerton found itself in a big hole early after Ricky Romero (1-2) was
hit hard in his four innings of work. He surrendered a career-high nine
hits and walked a career-high five as Arizona built an 8-1 lead through
four innings. The Titans managed just one hit -- a first-inning solo homer
by P.J. Pilittere -- off Wildcat starter Kevin Guyette (1-0) through the
first four innings.
The Titans, hoping to mimic the Wildcats' seven-run comeback a day earlier,
finally built some momentum in the eighth inning. The Titans plated five
runs in the inning with Felipe Garcia's first career homer -- a two-run
shot off reliever Scott Burns -- closing the gap to 9-6.
But Derek Decater's RBI-triple in the bottom of the frame made it a four-run
game and the Titans managed just one baserunner in the ninth.
Fullerton will try to avoid its second sweep of the season on Sunday,
when it sends freshman right Lauren Gagnier to the mound.
