Junior second baseman Jake Jefferies went 2-for-9 with a double in the first two games against the rival Long Beach State Dirtbags, but did not play in the rubber match SUnday. The Titans would go on to lose the series that included two extra-inning contests. The series was a non-conference set against Long Beach State, but it set the tone for their conference matchup in May.
(Matt Corkill / Daily Titan File Photo)
With two out of three games going into extra innings, the Titans lost a tough series in the rubber match against Long Beach State to kick off their eight-game road trip.
On Friday, the Titans (11-11) fell short, 4-3, in a five-hour marathon match. Junior starting pitcher Thomas Eshelman (1.87 ERA) delivered eight strikeouts in six innings, while allowing seven hits and three runs.
However, it took 12 innings to determine the winner, with the loss going to Miles Chambers, who came in relief at the bottom of the ninth.
An action-packed first inning set the game at 2-2 with a two-run homer from Fullerton first baseman Josh Estill and individual runs from Long Beach’s Zack Domingues and Zack Rivera.
In the top of the second, left fielder Dalton Blaser grounded out to first base, bringing Jerrod Bravo home for the 3-2 Titan lead. With the grounder, Bravo extended his hitting streak to eight games.
However, the Dirtbags answered back in a flash, with Nico Maida driving in Brock Lundquist for the 3-3 tie at the bottom of the third.
The game was held scoreless after the third inning up until the 12th, where Chris Mathewson hit a walk-off single through the right side, bringing home Garrett Hampson for the Long Beach game-winning run.
The Titans left a total of 14 runners on base for the night. They are now 0-5 for the season when they hit a home run.
A bases-loaded walk in extra innings determined game two on Saturday, as the Titans picked up their first road win of the season.
The 2-1 win against the Dirtbags evened out the series at Blair Field. Titan catcher A.J. Kennedy walked three times for the day, but his last one came at a crucial time for the Titans, with the game tied 1-1 in the 10th inning. With the bases loaded, Kennedy showed bunt on a full count pitch by Dirtbags closer Ty Provencher. The ball four call moved the runners forward, bringing home Blaser for the game winner.
“We’re getting plenty of guys on base, but we haven’t been hitting. So today, we reverted to a 3-2 squeeze that we invented right there in that inning. So it worked; the guy didn’t throw a strike,” Fullerton Head Coach Rick Vanderhook said.
Kennedy had struggled at the plate in game one, going 0-for-3. However, his change of game plan proved to be successful on Saturday.
“I just slowed the game down today. Yesterday, I was rushing at the plate; I got off my plan a couple times, but today I was trying not to do too much and not try to be the guy. So I just tried to set up my offense, get on base, move me over, do the little things right,” Kennedy said.
CSUF closer Tyler Peitzmeier earned his seventh save of the season with the help of relief pitcher Maxwell Gibbs, who delivered five strikeouts before him.
“I was just trying to just stick to what I’m working with, keep the ball low. I got kind of lucky there; they tried to bunt and they couldn’t do it, but (I) just (tried) to stick to what I do good and just try to work from there,” Gibbs said.
On Sunday, Long Beach took advantage of Fullerton defensive mistakes to secure the series win, beating the Titans, 6-1 in the rubber match.
The Titans fell behind right away in the matchup; Long Beach’s Rivera and Domingues scored on a throwing error by Kennedy. With the Dirtbags scoring two additional runs, they finished the first inning on top 4-0.
Hampson, who went 3-for-4 at the plate, helped extend his team’s lead to 5-0 when he tripled to right field in the second inning. Hampson scored off a ground out by Domingues.
Fullerton was held scoreless until the sixth inning, where designated hitter David Olmedo-Barrera hit a triple of his own to right center field. He subsequently scored on a fielding error by Hampson, making the score 5-1.
Hampson’s last at-bat, in the bottom of the seventh, was the final nail on the coffin. He ran in the final score of the game, setting it at 6-1 for the series win.
Fullerton’s John Gavin (2-1) took the loss and evened out the team’s record at 11-11.
The Titans and Dirtbags will meet again on May 21 at Goodwin Field for their official conference matchup.
Fullerton will continue their road trip and head out to Nebraska for a two-game series starting Tuesday.