MIMI HUNG/ Daily Titan
After his Cal State Fullerton offense mustered just three runs over the first two games of the team’s weekend clash in Fullerton against Texas A&M, Titan Head Coach Rick Vanderhook predicted that a few more runs would be scored in the series finale.
Vanderhook may not be an actual prophet, but he was right on when he made that statement during a post-game interview Saturday. Aggie starting pitcher Rafael Pineda (1-2) was removed before he was able to record an out, and the Titans built a substantial early lead before hanging on by the skin of their teeth to earn a 7-6 victory Sunday afternoon at Goodwin Field.
The Titans scored two runs in the first inning without even putting a ball in play, thanks to four walks and a hit batsman.
“They gave us some runs,” said Vanderhook. “We almost went nine guys without putting the ball in play fair. But we’ll take runs.”
CSUF added another three in the second and one more in the third, highlighted by a pair of RBI doubles by shortstop Richy Pedroza.
“He had actually been swinging the bat really good and not been rewarded at all,” Vanderhook said of Pedroza, who entered Sunday with a batting average of .231 despite consistent solid contact. “He’s swinging that bat as good as anybody.”
“I was hitting the ball hard all season, and I just tried to stay with it,” said Pedroza. “Sooner or later I was going to find some holes.”
A&M clawed its way back into the game with a run in the fourth and three more in the fifth, cutting the Titan lead to 6-4 and knocking out CSUF starting pitcher Graham Wiest (2-1). However, relief pitchers J.D. Davis and Koby Gauna combined to throw three scoreless innings for the Titans and keep the Aggie offense in check. Pedroza collected his third hit of the game in the bottom of the seventh—a two out, run-scoring single to left field that pushed the Titan lead to 7-4.
Titan standout Michael Lorenzen took over on the mound in the ninth, looking for his fifth save of the year.
“It’s the first time he’s thrown two days in a row, and I was skeptical of putting him in,” Vanderhook said. “He came up and said, ‘I’m going in.’ I don’t argue with him when he says he’s going in. He’s the best guy in the country.”
Lorenzen certainly showed signs of fatigue, and acknowledged after the game that his arm was sore from pitching the night before. His velocity was down to 95 mph from his typical 96-99, and the Aggies quickly loaded the bases with one out. A&M designated hitter Mitchell Nau, who missed a home run by mere inches in the fourth inning, ripped a single into center field that knocked in two runs and trimmed the lead to 7-6.
After a fly ball accounted for the second out of the inning, Lorenzen struck out Aggie first baseman Cole Lankford on a high fastball—but the pitch glanced off the glove of catcher Jared Deacon and went to the backstop. Because it was a wild pitch, Lankford was able to run to first, and Deacon couldn’t retrieve the ball in time to throw him out.
“I was getting nervous,” Vanderhook said. “I asked where the defibrillator was.”
With the bases loaded, the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on second, Lorenzen was able to retire A&M catcher Troy Stein on a first-pitch ground out to third base, ending the game and giving the Titans the series win.
“They were squaring me up pretty good, so I got a little frustrated,” said Lorenzen. “I think I was able to just calm down, pray a little bit and understand that my defense is the best defense in the nation.”
“They battled, and they’re tough,” Vanderhook said of the Aggies. “There’s no weakness in those guys. They kept fighting and fighting until the last pitch.”