SAN DIEGO, Calif. – No. 9 Cal State Fullerton let a two-run lead slip away late and then Troy Conyers hit a walk-off two-run home run in the 10th for San Diego to hand the Titans a 5-3 defeat in 10 innings Tuesday night at Fowler Park.
It was the third straight loss for the Titans (8-6), who had not dropped three in a row under head coach Rick Vanderhook and had not suffered three straight losses since 2011, when they dropped four straight from March 11-15.
Tanner Pinkston led the Titans offense going 3-for-5 and J.D. Davis was 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.
But the Toreros (11-4) pounded out 12 hits and scored four runs in the final three innings to take home their third straight victory over a ranked opponent.
The teams were tied 3-3 going into the bottom of the 10th, where Josh Goossen-Brown singled through the hole at short with two outs. Conyers, who came into the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning, hammered a pitch from Davis and sent it over the right field fence for the game-winning home run.
It was Conyers only hit of the game while Goossen-Brown went 2-for-5 with a run scored.
Davis took the loss for the Titans after pitching two innings in relief, allowing the two runs on three hits while striking out three and issuing an intentional walk.
The Titans took a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning when they caught a break from the Toreros defense. With the game tied 1-1, Greg Velazquez took a pitch off his helmet with one out and then Clay Williamson legged out an infield single. Timmy Richards then walked to bring up catcher Jared Deacon with the bases loaded. The Titans backstop hit a sharp comebacker to the pitcher who threw to home to erase Velazquez, but first baseman Connor Joe could not handle a low throw from catcher Jesse Jenner and the ball went into right field, allowing the other two runners to score and give the Titans the lead.
But the Toreros tied it up in the eighth after they led off with a pair of hits from Joe and Andrew Daniel, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. One out later, pinch-hitter Brandon Defazio hit a critical double off the left-center field wall to plate both runners and tie the game.
The Titans will return home to face Saint Mary's on Friday night after playing seven consecutive games on the road.
Notes: Phil Bickford made his first career start for the Titans and went four innings, tying his career high. He allowed one run on three hits and struck out three… The Titans left 11 runners on base on Tuesday night… The Titans went 4-3 during their seven-game road stretch… Matt Chapman's on-base streak came to an end at 13 games after he went 0-for-5 on Tuesday.