FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton pounded out 31 hits including five extra base hits which led to 21 combined runs as the Titans swept a pair of games from visiting Baylor Friday at Goodwin Field.
Game One Recap
Fullerton scored in the first three innings in support of junior right-hander Thomas Eshelman and it was more than enough as the Titans took the first game of the doubleheader 10-1.
The Titans jumped on the board right away to start the day against Baylor starter Drew Tolson. Tyler Stieb, Dustin Vaught and David Olmedo-Barrera each laced singles to the outfield to plate the first run of the game and put Fullerton up 1-0.
After Josh Estill got hit by a pitch to load the bases, Scott Hurst lifted a sacrifice fly to deep left field, plenty deep to bring in Vaught with the second run of the inning and give the Titans the 2-0 lead early.
In the following inning, A.J. Kennedy led off with an infield single to third base and then moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Timmy Richards. Kennedy came around to score on Josh Vargas' RBI single to left-center and the Titans were up 3-0 after two innings.
They added a run in the third inning and Eshelman did the rest, going seven strong innings and allowing one run on five hits. He walked two and struck out seven to earn his first win of the season.
Shane Stillwagon shut the door with two innings of scoreless relief. He walked one and struck out two.
Offensively, Stieb led the way in the opener with three hits including a double. He scored three times and drove in a pair of runs. Olmedo-Barrera also went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Vargas also recorded a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and one RBI.
Game Two Recap
Josh Estill went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs and Vaught went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and one RBI. Jake Jefferies was 2-for-5 and Jerrod Bravo recorded his first two career hits, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and one RBI.
Trailing 6-5 in the eighth, the Titans sent seven batters to the plate before the first out was recorded. By the time Taylor Bryant popped out to short, the Titans had scored six runs in the frame to take an 11-6 advantage. Estill put the Titans ahead with a two-run single to right with the bases loaded and a few batters later, Scott Hurst cleared the bases with a three-run triple to cap off the scoring in the inning.
The Bears jumped on top to start the game with a pair of runs in the first inning. Levi Gilcrease reached on a one-out walk and then advanced to the second on a wild pitch. He would come around to score on a throwing error by shortstop Timmy Richards on a grounder from Logan Brown. Aaron Dodson then stepped up and lined a tailing triple to right field that bounced off Dustin Vaught's glove and went behind him, allowing Brown to score.
The Titans responded in the second by capitalizing on a throwing error by third baseman Jonathan Ducoff that allowed Josh Vargas to reach base. Vaught and Estill followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases. With two outs in the frame, Jefferies and Bravo each punched singles through the infield to drive in a run apiece and tie the game 2-2 after one inning.
The Titans went ahead 3-2 after scoring a run on a passed ball and then Baylor tied it in the fourth after Dodson doubled, advanced to third on a single and then scored on an RBI groundout by Duncan Wendel. The Bears then went ahead in the frame after Wendel reached third on a wild pitch and then scored on another errant delivery from Titans reliever Willie Kuhl.
In the fifth, the Bears padded their lead on the strength of a two-run home run to left field off the bat of Mitch Price, his first round-tripper of the season giving the Bears a 6-3 lead.
The Titans answered with two runs in the sixth to cut the lead to one after Vargas plated Timmy Richards on a sacrifice fly and then Vaught singled in Tyler Stieb, making it 6-5 and setting the stage for the Titans six-run eighth inning.
The teams will return to conclude the three-game set Saturday at 1 p.m. with Justin Garza taking the hill for the Titans while the Bears counter with Ryan Smith.
Notes: The Titans are now 7-4 all-time against Baylor… Connor Seabold earned his first career victory in game two, going four innings of relief and surrendering two runs on three hits. He struck out three without issuing a walk… Seven of the nine starting position players collected at least one hit in both games on Friday… Stillwagon set a new career high with two innings pitched and two strikeouts in his outing on Friday.
