FULLERTON, Calif. - No. 23 Cal State Fullerton struggled to get much going offensively and it proved costly as the Titans dropped a 9-4 decision to San Diego Tuesday night at Goodwin Field.
The Titans (9-6) had their seven-game winning streak snapped while the Toreros (7-7) recorded their fifth straight win over a ranked team in the last 10 days.
Fullerton managed just three hits on the day courtesy of Jake Jefferies, Chris Hudgins and Turner Buis, who made his first career appearance for the Titans this season.
San Diego got the bulk of their runs in the first inning, putting up a four-spot off Titans starter Kyle Murray. Jerod Smith walked to lead off the game and moved over to second on a passed ball. He advanced to third on a Jesse Jenner single to left and scored on a single by Colton Waltner, putting the Toreros up 1-0.
A strikeout later, Ryan Kirby deposited the first pitch he saw from Murray over the right field fence for a three-run shot to give the visitors a quick 4-0 lead.
The Titans scored a run on four walks in the second inning but the Toreros got that run back in the fifth to make it 5-1 through five innings.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Titans got back into the game after Jefferies was hit by a pitch and then Hudgins followed with a double to left. Tanner Pinkston and Dalton Blaser each had RBI groundouts to trim the Toreros lead to 5-3, bringing up Buis with two away.
Buis jumped on the first pitch he saw and launched it over the right-field wall for his first career-hit, a solo home run to make it 5-4.
But the Toreros added an insurance run in the eighth and three more in the ninth to put the game away.
The Titans will hit the road this weekend as they take on Indiana for a three-game set beginning on Friday.
Notes: The Titans wrapped up their 12-game home stand on Tuesday night. They went 8-4 during that stretch… Fullerton has now dropped four straight games to San Diego dating back to 2013… Jefferies extended his hitting streak to eight games and has now reached base in 14 straight.
