No. 2 Cal State Fullerton averted a ninth inning rally as Vinnie Pestano
got UCLA’s Chris Denove to fly out with the tying run on second
base to secure the 7-6 victory for the Titans in a non-conference baseball
game at Jackie Robinson Field Tuesday night.
Fullerton wins it’s last non-conference game before opening up Big
West Conference play this weekend with UC Irvine, improving to 18-6 on
the year while dropping the Bruins overall record to 7-14.
The Titans, in typical midweek fashion, marched five pitchers out to combat
UCLA with John Estes (1-0) emerging as the winner, picking up his first
victory of the year pitching two effective innings in relief. Estes allowed
two unearned runs while striking out two in his two innings of work.
Scott Sarver pitched two scoreless innings of relief striking out two
along the way before giving way to Pestano who picked up his fifth save
of the year.
Fullerton tagged Bruin reliever, and eventual loser, Daniel Miltenberger
(2-1) for three runs on RBI singles by Trevor Mortensen and Justin Turner
and a successful squeeze bunt by Ronnie Prettyman in the top of the fourth
inning.
Fullerton’s lineup featured four non-regular starters (Trevor Mortensen,
Jared Clark, Jon Wilhite and Brian Stevens) with Mortensen and Clark leading
the way with a pair of hits and a stolen base each.
Fullerton scored all their runs in the first five innings including a
two-run first and a three-run fourth inning. Prettyman drove in two runs
with the squeeze bunt and an RBI-single to lead the Titans with two RBI.
Bruin second baseman Sean Smith matched Prettyman’s pair of RBIs
with a sacrifice fly and an RBI-single to head the UCLA offense that outhit
the Titans 11-10. The Bruins scored single runs in each of the first five
frames to pull within 7-5 before their ninth inning surge that got them
leave the tying run on second and winning run on first.
UCLA’s final fifth pitcher of the night, Brian Schroeder, pitched
an impressive four innings of scoreless relief allowing just two titan
hits while striking out four.
The Titans will open conference play as former Titan Assistant Coach Dave
Serrano will bring his Anteater team North to Goodwin Field for a three-game
series with his old team Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Game times are 7
p.m., 6 p.m. and 1 pm. respectively.
