Titans Clinch Co-Championship with 10-0 Win May 22, 2005 – Fullerton, Calif
Box Score
Titan pitchers Scott Sarver and Vinnie Pestano combined for a 10-0 shutout
and Danny Dorn Drove in four as No. 1 Cal State Fullerton clinched at
least a Co-Big West Conference championship and an automatic berth to
the NCAA tournament with a victory over No. 10 Long Beach State at Goodwin
Field Sunday afternoon.
For the 21st time in the programs 31-year history, the Titans reached
the 40-win plateau and improve to 40-13 on the year, clinching their 21st
conference championship with their 15-3 Big West record. Long Beach State
wraps up their conference play with the loss with one game remaining with
USC on Tuesday. They fall to 36-19 on the year overall and 14-7 in the
Big West. The Titans are headed to the NCAA Regionals for the 14th consecutive
year.
Scott Sarver (9-2) picked up his sixth straight conference victory handling
the 49er offense for seven scoreless innings allowing just four hits while
striking out two. Vinnie Pestano worked a scoreless eighth and ninth striking
out four, including the side in the ninth to extend hit scoreless streak
to 19 innings. Over that stretch Pestano has allowed just four hits including
one today in the eighth inning by 49er pinch-hitter Cole Jacobsen. Sunday’s
shutout was the sixth of the season for the Fullerton pitching staff.
Dorn’s single in the bottom of the fourth to drive in Brett Pill
and Justin Turner proved to be the game winner off losing pitcher Jared
Hughes (8-3) as it gave the Titans a 2-0 lead. Hughes lasted just 5.2
innings allowing six earned runs jumping his ERA from 2.38 to 2.83.
Fullerton scored twice in the fourth, fifth, and sixth before exploding
for four in the bottom of the seventh. Back-to-back triples by Ronnie
Prettyman and Brandon Tripp and a sacrifice fly by John Curtis accounted
for the Titans runs in the fifth, while another two RBI by Dorn improved
the Titan lead to 6-0.
The Titans scored four times in the seventh inning off the three Long
Beach relief pitchers as both Blake Davis and Segio Pedroza each unloaded
for a two-run homer to bring the final score to 10-0. Davis’ shot
was his second of the season and Pedroza hit his conference leading 13th.
Turner, Pedroza, Dorn, Prettyman and Brandon Tripp each collected two
hits in the Titan 12-hit output.
Fullerton will enjoy a week without a midweek match-up and look to win
out as they travel to UC Riverside to conclude Big West Conference play.
Look for the probable pitching rotation to remain the same with 11-game
winner Ricky Romero on Friday, freshman Wes Roemer on Saturday and senior
9-game winner Sarver on Sunday.
