FULLERTON, Calif. - Thomas Eshelman was outstanding on the mound for Cal State Fullerton and Tyler Peitzmeier secured the shutout in the ninth as the Titans Defeated No. 11 UC Santa Barbara 3-0 Friday night at Goodwin Field.
Eshelman pitched eight scoreless innings for the Titans (27-20, 12-4), outdueling Gauchos (34-12-1, 11-5) ace Dillon Tate in a battle between two of the top collegiate pitchers in the nation.
With UC Irvine losing to Cal Poly 9-6 on Friday night, the Titans are now in sole possession of first place in the Big West Conference, one game ahead of the Gauchos and Anteaters and two up on the Mustangs.
Eshelman scattered three hits and retired the last 10 Gauchos he faced. He fanned nine and issued one walk, just his sixth of the season.
Tate was electric for the Gauchos but his control left him at times and it proved costly. He went five and 2/3 innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits. He struck out eight but allowed four walks and hit two batters.
Peitzmeier picked up his 13th save of the season, allowing just one hit in the ninth and recording a strikeout. It was his first save since April 11 at UC Davis.
Offensively, the Titans had six different hitters collect a hit on the night. Josh Vargas went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Taylor Bryant did not register a hit but did collect one RBI and walked four times.
The teams traded zeroes through three-and-a-half innings before the Titans finally got to Tate in the fourth. Jerrod Bravo was hit by a pitch with one out and then Dalton Blaser laced a single to right field. Bravo advanced all the way to third. After Tate struck out Timmy Richards, A.J. Kennedy walked to load the bases and then Bryant drew another walk from Tate to force in the run and give the Titans the 1-0 lead.
The Titans padded the lead in the sixth inning as Richards singled with one out and then stole second. With two down, Bryant drew his third walk of the night and then Vargas came through with a two-out single off Tate through the right side to plate Richards and make it 2-0. Tyler Stieb then hit a routine grounder to second but Woody Woodward botched the play and Bryant scored the unearned run to give Fullerton the three-run lead.
Stieb extended his hitting streak to six games after going 1-for-5 on Friday night.
Eshelman cruised in the late innings but ran into trouble in the third after allowing a leadoff double to Cameron Newell with the game still scoreless. A sacrifice bunt moved the go-ahead run to third but Eshelman got Woody Woodward and Peter Maris to popout to Richards at short to end the threat. The Gauchos would get another runner to third base in the fourth inning with two outs but stranded him there and never threatened again.
The teams will return to Goodwin Field Saturday night with Justin Garza getting the start for Fullerton while the Gauchos will go with lefty Justin Jacome.
Notes: Eshelman issued his first walk in conference in the first inning when he walked Paddy O'Brien on five pitches… Jerrod Bravo was 1-for-3 on the night and reached base for the 29th consecutive game… David Olmedo-Barrera extended his hitting streak to eight games as he went 1-for-5 on the night… The Titans have recorded three shutouts in the last four games and outscored their opponents 38-4 in the last 42 and 1/3 innings.
