Nick Salotti hit a go-ahead solo home run in the seventh and Kyle Barratt
hit a solo shot in the ninth as UC Riverside evened its Big West Conference
series against Cal State Fullerton with a 6-4 win at Goodwin Field Saturday
night.
The Titans fell to 29-19 overall and 12-2 in conference play and saw their
lead over Long Beach State shrink to one game. The Highlanders improved
to 31-19 and 9-6.
Riverside's John Martinez improved to 8-1, allowing four runs on eight
hits in 6.2 innings. Brian Hoff closed out the Titans with a 1-2-3 ninth
to pick up his eighth save.
Fullerton starter Ricky Romero (9-4) was roughed up for five runs on 11
hits in 6.0 innings. He surrendered a pair of runs in the first on back-to-back
RBI singles and fell behind, 3-0, in the third when Matt Cunningham led
off with a triple over right fielder Sergio Pedroza's head and scored
on a sac fly by Tony Festa.
Pedroza's RBI-double in the fourth -- his third in the first two games
of the series -- and a sac fly by P.J Pilittere made it a 3-2 Riverside
lead. Riverside countered with another run in the top of the fifth, but
Fullerton drew even in the bottom of the frame.
Both Ronnie Prettyman and Kurt Suzuki tripled and scored in the inning,
the latter on Danny Dorn's two-out RBI-single to right field.
Titan pitcher Ryan Schreppel pitched well in relief, allowing just a run
on one hits in three innings.
These two teams will play the rubber game of the three-game set on Sunday
at 1 p.m.
