Titans Win Championship Ourtright with 13-7 Win May 27, 2005 – Riverside, Calif
Box Score
No. 1 Cal State Fullerton won it’s 21st conference championship
outright with a 13-7 victory Friday night against UC Riverside as Justin
Turner reached base six times to lead the 16-hit Titan attack at Riverside
Sports Center. The win leaves the Titans three games ahead of second place
Cal Poly with only two games to play.
It took a five-run ninth inning to finally subdue the Highlanders (26-27,
9-10), who led 5-2 after three innings.The Titans improve to 41-13 overall
and 16-3 in league as they are crowned conference champions in back-to-back
years and for the sixth time under Head Coach George Horton.
Riverside hung a four on the board in their half of the third as Andrew
Martinez doubled to drive in a pair of runs just before Brian Steinmeyer
hit his fifth home run of the year to give the Highlanders a 5-3 advantage
over Titan ace Ricky Romero. The Fullerton southpaw allowed five hits
and two walks over the first three innings before settling down to face
just two over the minimum over his last four innings. Romero finished
the night going seven complete, picking up his fifth straight win, improving
to 12-4, while fanning 9 Highlanders.
After falling behind in the bottom of the third, the Titans came back
by knocking seven singles, good for five runs, to regain the lead at 7-5.
Riverside starter.
Haley Winter stayed in the game for seven innings, facing 10 Titans in
the top of the fourth with only Blake Davis Danny Dorn and John Curtis
being retired. Winter fell to 6-8 on the year as he struck out eight before
giving way to three other Riverside arms.
Freshman Adam Jorgenson, on in relief of Romero, allowed two earned runs
in the bottom of the eighth as back-to-back RBI-hits drove in two, bringing
the Highlanders within one run at 8-7. He retired two Highlander hitters
before Horton went to closer Vinnie Pestano.
Pestano came on to get pinch-hitter Louie Hernandez to pop out to catcher
John Curtis for the final out of the inning, setting up the Titans’
five-run ninth.
Fullerton took advantage of two key Riverside errors, two hits, a walk
and a hit batter to pull ahead for good 13-7 in the top of the ninth inning.
Brandon Tripp, Curtis and Neil Walton each picked up RBI with the other
two runs scoring on a play that included a throwing error by both the
pitcher Anthony Claggett and second baseman Hernandez.
Pestano picked up his 11th save and extended his scoreless inning streak
to 20.1 innings.
Turner, Bobby Andrews and Ronnie Prettyman each collected three hits in
the 16-hit attack, with Turner, Tripp and Curtis each driving in a pair
of runs.
The two teams will meet up again tomorrow with Ryan Schreppel making his
return to the starting rotation since his departure after a knee injury
on March 25. Schreppel will bring his 5-0 record and 1.97 ERA to face
Riverside’s Taylor Bills (7-7) at 6 pm.
