Joe Persichina's one-out home run to right centerfield in the seventh
broke a 7-7 tie and Arizona State held off yet another ninth-inning Titan
rally as the Sun Devils came-from-behind to defeat Cal State Fullerton,
9-8, on Sunday afternoon in front of 3,022 fans at Goodwin Field.
With the victory, the Sun Devils improved to 39-23 overall and advanced
to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., next weekend. ASU will meet
Nebraska in the opening round on Friday (June 17).
Cal State Fullerton ends its season with a 46-18 overall record. Attendance-wise,
the 10,330 for the weekend series was the second-highest at Goodwin Field,
missing the record set against Long Beach State this season by 25 fans.
The Sun Devils battled back from five runs down, thanks a two-run fifth
and a three-run sixth, highlighted by RBI hits in each inning from Tuffy
Gosewisch, who went 5-for-5 on the afternoon. His two-out, two-run single
off Fullerton's Wes Roemer in the sixth inning tied the score.
Persichina then gave ASU the lead for good in the seventh, lofting a full-count
offering from closer Vinnie Pestano (3-4) over the fence in right centerfield
for the 8-7 lead. Arizona State added a much-needed insurance run in the
ninth on J.J. Sferra's run-scoring fielder's choice to make it 9-7.
The Titans wouldn't go quietly, however, much as they did all weekend,
putting together a ninth-inning rally. Brett Pill led off the inning with
his ninth home run of the season to right centerfield to close Fullerton
to within a run.
However, Brett Bordes shut things down to earn his fourth save of the
year, striking out the next two batters swinging and getting a ground
ball to end the game.
Pestano allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out a pair in 2 2/3
innings of work. Starter Scott Sarver went 5 2/3 innings, allowing five
earned runs on nine hits, walking one and striking out two.
Arizona State took the early 2-0 lead in the first on Zechry Zinicola's
one-out, two-run single to left, but defensive miscues by the Sun Devils
brought the Titans right back.
Fullerton plated three runs in the third as Sergio Pedroza plated the
Titans' first run with a bases-loaded walk and Pill scored two more on
his RBI fielder's choice that the ASU shortstop bobbled, allowing another
run to come home and make it 3-2.
The Titans busted things open in the fourth, scoring on an RBI single
by Justin Turner and, the big blast, a three-run home run by Pedroza to
right to make it 7-2.
The Sun Devils chipped away again, as back-to-back RBI hits by Gosewisch
and Zinicola made it 7-4, and ASU continued to comeback, tying the game
on a home run by Andrew Romine and Gosewisch's two-run single.
Five of Arizona State's nine runs on the day came with two outs and four
players had at least two hits for the Sun Devils.
Fullerton's offense was paced by its 2-3-4 hitters, who all had two hits,
and drove in seven of the team's eight runs.
