LOS ANGELES, Calif. - In a wild game that went more than four hours, Cal State Fullerton found a way to pull out a 5-3 victory over No. 13 USC in 12 innings Tuesday night at Dedeaux Field.
Senior Tyler Peitzmeier picked up the victory as he went a career-high five and 2/3 innings in relief. He allowed just one hit, walked one and struck out five.
Offensively, Timmy Richards had his second career three-hit game as he was 3-for-6 and drove in the game-winning run in the 12th inning with a two-out single up the middle. Richards was one of four Titans to record a multi-hit game.
Jerrod Bravo was 2-for-6 with a run scored and reached base safely for the 25th consecutive game he's played in while David Olmedo-Barrera also went 2-for-6. Tyler Stieb was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk.
Tied 3-3 in the 12th, Tanner Pinkston led off the inning with a single through the right side and then came out for pinch-runner Tristan Hildebrandt, who stole second base. After Trojans reliever Marc Huberman got the next two outs, Richards stepped in and lined a 1-0 offering back up the middle to drive in Hildebrandt with the go-ahead run. The Titans got insurance after Richards stole second and then, as he was attempting to steal third, Huberman spiked a wild pitch that went high in the air and to the backstop. Richards never stopped running and scored easily to make it 5-3 and Peitzmeier retired the side in order in the bottom of the inning to secure the win.
The teams traded zeroes through three and 1/2 innings before the Trojans got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Chambers retired the first two batters of the inning but A.J. Ramirez stepped up and blasted a 1-0 offering from the Titans right-hander over the left-field fence to put USC up 1-0.
In the fifth inning, the Trojans added another run after Jeremy Martinez doubled with two outs. Timmy Robinson then hit a hard grounder to third base, where Bravo made a diving stop to his left. But his throw bounced past Josh Estill at first base and allowed Martinez to score to make it 2-0 in favor of USC.
David Oppenheim then led off the sixth with a double, advanced to third on a balk and came in to score on a squeeze bunt by Ramirez to put the Trojans ahead 3-0.
After six innings of coming up empty, the Titans offense finally put something together against the Trojans pitching staff. The Titans got four singles from Bravo, Richards, Stieb and Taylor Bryant to plate two runs in the inning off three pitchers and cut the deficit to one.
In the eighth inning, the Titans tied the game after Josh Vargas led off with a single and then Olmedo-Barrera followed with a one-out single to put two runners on. With Bravo batting, Vargas broke for third on a steal attempt as Bravo chopped the ball to third. Trojans third baseman Adalberto Carrillo fielded the ball with Vargas right behind him on the bag and threw to first. Vargas broke for home on the throw and beat the throw to the plate with a great slide to tie the game 3-3.
Notes: Miles Chambers made his second start of the season Tuesday. His first also came against USC in the Titans home opener on Feb. 17 at Goodwin Field… The Trojans were 25-0 when leading after seven innings prior to Tuesday's loss… The Titans overcame a three-run deficit to win a game for the fourth time this season and the second consecutive game after coming back from three runs down to beat UC Irvine on Sunday.
