LOS ANGELES - Matt Chapman blasted his sixth home run of the season and the Cal State Fullerton pitching staff made it stand as the Titans scored a 1-0 victory over UCLA Tuesday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
The Titans (24-20) swept the season series from the Bruins (23-22-1) for the second consecutive year. The Titans scored a 4-3 victory over the Bruins on Apr. 8 at Goodwin Field. It was also the first time the Titans have scored consecutive shutouts since Apr. 27-28, 2013 when they blanked Hawaii.
Chapman put the Titans on the board in the third inning as he blasted his sixth home run of the season over the left-center field fence to give the Titans a 1-0 lead. He would finish the night 1-for-3 with a walk to go along with his home run. It was also the first home run for the Titans since Chapman led off the game with a blast at Cal Poly on April 18. He has hit the last three home runs for the Titans.
Phil Bickford and the Titans pitching staff did the rest, holding the Bruins scoreless. The freshman from Newbury Park, Calif. drew the start and went five and 2/3 shutout innings, scattering four hits. He walked two and struck out six.
Willie Kuhl, Tyler Peitzmeier and Koby Gauna combined to shut down the Bruins in three and 1/3 innings of relief, allowing just two hits. Each pitcher recorded a strikeout and Gauna picked up his fourth save of the season after entering the game with one out in the eighth inning.
Offensively, the Titans pounded out 10 hits, led by Clay Williamson. The junior went 3-for-4 with a walk and reached base in all five of his plate appearances. Williamson has now reached base safely in 17 consecutive games, tying Tanner Pinkston's streak for the longest by a Titan this season. He also extended his hitting streak to eight games.
Eight different Titans collected a base hit on Tuesday including Keegan Dale and David Olmedo-Barrera. Dale extended his hitting streak to a Titans season-high 11 games while Olmedo-Barrera has a hit in six straight games.
The Titans had a chance to add to the lead in the seventh after Williamson led off with an infield single and then advanced to second on a sacrifice. J.D. Davis stepped up and smoked a ball up the middle against reliever Jake Ehret but shortstop Trent Chatterton made a diving stop and then sprung up with a perfect throw to first to get Davis and rob him of an RBI. Chapman then followed with a hard groundball but right at second base and the threat was over. Davis finished the night 1-for-5 for the Titans.
As for the Bruins, they were unable to solve the Titans pitching staff as they had just two base runners advance to second base on the night. Ty Moore went and Pat Gallagher each went 2-for-4 on the night but the rest of the squad went just 2-for-22 against Titans pitchers.
Notes: The Titans have now taken part in four consecutive shutouts, going 2-2 in those games… Chapman's home run was the only extra-base hit for either side on Tuesday… The Titans scored their 10th win of the season in one-run games and collected their sixth shutout… Both teams combined to go 0-for-17 with runners in scoring position on the night… Pinkston's nine-game hitting streak came to an end on Tuesday night... The Titans are 8-4 this season when they hit a home run.