Cal State Fullerton stranded 17 runners on base, including the bases loaded
in the ninth inning, as second-seeded Arizona escaped with a 6-5 victory
over the top-seeded Titans in a winner's bracket game on Saturday night
in front of a Goodwin Field record-crowd of 3,654.
Arizona improved to 39-19 overall and now stand one win away from a regional
championship and a berth in the super regional round next weekend. Cal
State Fullerton falls to 42-16 and will face Missouri on Sunday at 4 p.m.
(PDT) in an elimination game.
The winner of the Fullerton-Missouri game will meet Arizona on Sunday
night at 8 p.m., while the loser is eliminated from the postseason.
Trailing 6-3 entering the ninth, Ronnie Prettyman sparked the Titans'
rally, leading off the frame with a single to left and moved to second
when Bobby Andrews was hit by a pitch for the third time on the night.
Trevor Mortensen then singled to centerfield to load the bases.
That brought up freshman catcher Jon Wilhite, who smacked a 2-1 pitch
into right centerfield to plate two runs and pull the Titans to within
one run.
After Blake Davis was walked intentionally to reload the bases, Arizona
closer Mark Melancon slammed the door, striking out Justin Turner and
getting a pop out and a ground ball to notch his 11th save of the year.
Melancon gave up two runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of work.
Of Fullerton's season-high 17 runners left on base, 12 were stranded in
scoring position.
Kevin Guyette (10-4) hung on for the victory, allowing one earned run
on seven hits, walking one and striking out five in five innings of work.
Eric Berger came on in relief in the sixth, allowing a run on two hits
in 2.2 innings while walking three and striking out five.
Ricky Romero (12-5) suffered the loss, allowing four earned runs (six
overall) on seven hits, walking two and striking out three. John Estes,
Adam Jorgenson, and Vinnie Pestano did their best to keep the Titans in
it, allowing just three hits in three innings of relief.
Fullerton got on the board first thanks to a little help from the Arizona
defense. Davis reached on a one-out infield hit that took a bad hop and
hit the shortstop in the chest.
After an infield single by Turner, both runners moved up on a wild pitch,
but the catcher's throw down to third bounced into left field, allowing
Davis enough time to scamper home for the 1-0 lead.
Romero allowed just two hits through four innings until Nick Hundley tied
things up with his 15th home run of the season to left centerfield on
a 1-0 offering. The Wildcats piled on two more runs thanks to an RBI double
by Jason Seefeld and a two-out error charged to the shortstop, scoring
Jason Donald from second for the 3-1 Arizona lead.
The Wildcats seemingly put the game out of reach in the sixth as a walk
and two-base error set the stage for Jordan Brown, who slammed his 14th
home run of the season to right field for the 6-1 advantage.
Fullerton got a run back in the sixth, loading the bases with no outs
and scoring when Bobby Andrews beat a throw home on a wild pitch to make
it 6-2.
The Titans inched closer in the eighth putting a pair on with two outs
and driving a run home on Brett Pill's RBI single back up the middle to
make it 6-3. Melancon worked out of that jam, striking out Danny Dorn
looking to end the threat and set the stage for the ninth-inning dramatics.
Offensively, four Titans had a pair of hits on the night, while Hundley
led the Arizona offense with his 3-for-4 performance at the plate.
