For the Titans (12-5), the win marks their fifth straight, while they also improve to 4-3 in one-run games this season. The victory is also Fullerton's first Friday night win of the season and second weekend series opening victory. Titans improve to 9-1 when holding their opponents to two runs or less this season.
Seabold (2-3) set the tone on the mound, going 7.0 innings, allowing just four hits, two free passes and a run, while fanning eight. Brett Conine also came in relief and notched his third save in his last four appearances, going an inning while striking out one.
Taylor Bryant scored both Titan runs on the evening and went 1-of-2 at the plate with a double. He now has at least one knock in 14 of the last 16 games and he's scored at least one run in nine of the last 12. Sahid Valenzuela went 1-for-3 from the plate with a double and an RBI, while Chris Hudgins picked up the eventual game-winning RBI with a sacrifice fly to right field in the seventh inning.
Both squads were held scoreless through four and a half before Bryant became the Titans' first base runner of the night, as he reached on a catcher's interference call. Hudgins grounded out, eventually moving Bryant up to second base. Then it was Valenzuela who came through with a two-out double to center field to bring up the game's first run and put Fullerton ahead 1-0.
However, a half inning later, New Mexico (11-6) struck back, as Luis Gonzalez led off with a triple into the left field corner. Danny Collier then doubled him in a batter later to tie things up at 1-1. However a great defensive throw by Hunter Cullen came through with one of the plays of the evening, gunning down Gonzalez at third base after he tried to tag up from second to end the scoring threat.
Bryant led off the bottom of the seventh with a double off the left field fence. Hank LoForte then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Bryant to third, before Hudgins blasted a deep fly ball to right field to record the sacrifice fly.
Thanks to fine defense, stifling pitching and clutch hitting the Titans eventually hung on to win. The Titans will go for yet another series win tomorrow at 6 pm PT, when they take on the Lobos in game two.
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