TULSA, Okla. – No. 8 Cal State Fullerton completed the sweep of Oral Roberts, grinding out a 7-4 victory on Sunday afternoon at J.L. Johnson Stadium.
In a close game, it was Anthony Hutting's RBI single in the sixth that gave the Titans (16-3) the lead, 5-4, for good. After J.D. Davis singled to right, he moved to second on a wild pitch and scored from second when Hutting hammered a single to right field.
The Titans added insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings. In the eighth, Carlos Lopez was drilled to lead off the inning and moved to second as Davis was issued a one-out walk. Lopez moved to third on a wild pitch and scored courtesy of Michael Lorenzen's RBI groundout.
In the ninth, Keegan Dale led off the inning with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout before scoring on a wild pitch.
Fullerton starter Grahamm Wiest (3-1) was rewarded with the win after allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk while tossing seven strikeouts in six innings of work.
In relief, Davis tossed two shutout innings, striking out two while allowing just one hit and one walk.
Taking over on the mound with a three-run lead in the ninth, Lorenzen claimed his sixth save of 2013, shutting out the Golden Eagles despite allowing a hit and walk.
The Titans totaled nine hits on the day, and left the bases loaded on three occasions in the first, third and fifth innings. Fullerton also received 12 free bases as the Oral Roberts pitching staff issued eight walks and hit four batters. In addition, ORU had one balk, one passed ball and four wild pitches to help the Titans move around the bases.
Oral Roberts (5-13) reliever Brad Fisher (1-2) was charged with the loss after allowing one run on four hits and one walk in two and 2/3 innings of work. Four pitchers appeared in relief of starter Tim Zufall on Sunday. The right-hander lasted two and 2/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks.
Oral Roberts roughed up Wiest early, as the Golden Eagles scored two runs on three hits to claim a 2-0 lead after the first inning.
For the 15th time in 2013, the Titans scored three runs in an inning to eliminate Oral Roberts' two-run lead. A single to right and hit batter put Lopez and Matt Chapman on second and first, respectively, in the top of the third, and Davis drove in the first run with a RBI single to center. Lorenzen followed him with the second RBI single as Chapman scored on a base knock to right center. Davis scored the third run of the frame on a passed ball.
Fullerton added a run in the fourth to take a 4-2 advantage as Lopez was issued a one-out walk, stole second and moved to third on a balk before scoring unearned on an error as Fisher attempted to pick off Chapman at first, but missed the throw wide.
The Golden Eagles evened the score in the bottom of the fourth scoring two runs on four hits in the frame. Back-to-back singles put runners on first and second and a sacrifice moved the runners over. Matt Brandy was able to score courtesy of Brandon Healy's groundout before Nate Goro's RBI single to left allowed Austen Colt to tie the game.
The Titans return to action this week at Goodwin Field with two games against Nebraska. The Titans and Huskers will play back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday with both start times scheduled for 6 p.m. Fullerton will end the week with a three-game non-conference series at Long Beach State.
Notes: With a 16-3 record, Fullerton is off to its best start since 2009 when the club opened the year with a record of 16-3…with the loss, Oral Roberts extended its losing streak to nine games, the longest losing streak in program history…Fullerton's two-run deficit was its biggest comeback of the year, the Titans had overcome one-run deficits on three occasions…Fullerton swept its second weekend series of 2013, both on the road at TCU and Oral Roberts…the Titans left the bases loaded on three occasions…the Titans' three errors matched a season high.