Ronnie Prettyman drove in the game-tying run off Jered Weaver with two
outs in the ninth and Felipe Garcia singled in the game-winner in the
10th as No. 22 Cal State Fullerton rallied to beat No. 8 Long Beach State,
2-1, Friday night to clinch its first Big West Conference title since
2001.
Fullerton improved to 34-20 overall and 17-2 in conference play while
Long Beach fell to 36-14 and 14-5. The Titans clinched the title at Blair
Field a year after the 49ers did the same at Goodwin Field. Fullerton
also locked up its 13th consecutive bid into the NCAA Tournament, which
is the fifth-longest streak in the nation.
Weaver was a strike away from a complete game shutout and improving to
15-0 before Brett Pill delivered a pinch-hit double into the left-center
alley. Prettyman then worked the count to 3-1 before drilling a single
through the right side that plated pinch-runner Brandon Tripp with the
tying run and chased Weaver.
Fullerton grabbed a 2-1 lead in the top of the 10th when Garcia's soft
line drive off Neil Jamison into right field scored Clark Hardman from
third.
Jason Windsor (8-4) hurled his sixth complete game, going all 10 innings
and scattering five hits while striking out a career-high 12. Weaver left
with the go-ahead run at first base, but did not get a decision. Jamison
took the loss to fall to 2-2.
Fullerton had several chances to score off Weaver, putting the leadoff
man on base in six of the Titans' first eight innings. But the junior
right-hander, the leading contender for National Player of the Year honors,
consistently worked out of trouble. Most notably, he struck out the Titans'
3-4-5 batters after the first two Titan reached base in the eighth.
The 49ers scored their only run in the fourth, when John Bowker drilled
a solo homer to right field after Windsor had retired the first 11 batters
he faced.
Fullerton will go for the series victory on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
