ROBERT HUSKEY/ Daily Titan
One inning worth of runs would be all that the fourth-ranked Cal State Fullerton baseball team needed in a 6-4 non-conference victory over USC Tuesday night, completing the season sweep of the Trojans at Goodwin Field.
Trailing 2-0 in the third inning, the Titans (29-4) got things started when freshman Jake Jefferies singled to leadoff the inning. After an A.J. Kennedy single and Richy Pedroza fly out, USC starting pitcher Sean Adler hit Austin Diemer with a pitch that loaded the bases and set the stage for sophomore J.D. Davis.
With two outs, Davis connected for a monster shot to left field, to which the Trojans outfielder could only turn and watch as the ball sailed over the fence for a grand slam, putting the Titans in front 4-2.
“Coach wanted me to wait for a fastball, see if I could put my best swing on it and just relax up there,” said Davis. “I was hoping to hit it right back at him, but I got it a little bit early and put my best swing on it.”
Davis’ home run was his third of the year and brought his RBIs total to 31 on the season.
With the crowd still abuzz from the previous at-bat, junior Michael Lorenzen stepped up to the plate and belted a home run of his own to extend the lead to 5-2.
“Guys love to come up after that and that’s our plan, to try and hit another ball just as hard,” said Lorenzen, who leads the team in home runs with seven. “I got down to two strikes, I shortened up a little bit and he left a change-up up and I was able to hit it out.”
Matt Chapman finished the big inning, singling in Chad Wallach, who doubled in the previous at-bat. The only Titan with multiple hits on the night was Jefferies, who went 2-for-2 with a walk and run scored.
Reliever Henry Omana (1-0) came into the game in the fifth inning and pitched two innings of three-hit ball to earn his first win of the season. Sophomore starter Koby Gauna went three innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out three in a no-decision.
Lorenzen closed out the game in the ninth, allowing one hit and striking out one, earning his twelfth save of the season.
The victory extended the Titans winning streak to eight games and was their 18th win in their last 19 games.
Also extended was CSUF’s win streak over the Trojans, which now stands at four, dating back to last season. While USC (12-20) may not be the perennial powerhouse it was back in the early 2000’s, Head Coach Rick Vanderhook says victories over the PAC-12 conference are still important to the team, who are now 6-1 versus the conference this season.
“For us and our schedule, for our RPI (strength of schedule), beating the PAC-12 is a big deal. It sets us up a bit better for when the post-season comes around.”
Davis shared similar sentiments, but also said the importance lies with the team’s psyche.
“It’s a little bit of a confidence booster. We are coming out with a little swagger, we beat UCLA, and now we just swept USC. It’s all coming together.”
Cal State Fullerton will look to take that swagger into this weekend’s Big West series with UC Santa Barbara, in what will be the first meeting of the season between the two teams. The Titans will look to improve their 6-0 Big West record when the Gauchos come in with a 17-14 record and are 3-3 in conference play. The two teams will begin its series at Goodwin Field on Friday night at 7 p.m. For more information, visit FullertonTitans.com.