FULLERTON, Calif.--- Junior RHP Connor Seabold went the distance, allowing just three hits and one walk, while tallying a season-high equaling 11 strikeouts, as Fullerton cruised past UC Davis, 6-0 in the series opener, Friday night at Goodwin Field.
For the Titans (19-10, 3-1 Big West), the win marks their fourth straight overall and their ninth consecutive victory at home. The win also marks the team's fifth shutout victory of the season, which is already more than the Titans had all of last year.
Seabold (3-4) has now notched six quality starts this season, while the complete-shutout is Fullerton's first since Thomas Eshelman threw one at Hawaii on May 15, 2015. Seabold had a perfect game going through 4.1 innings.
Sahid Valenzuela led the way offensively for the Titans, going 3-of-4 at the plate with two RBI, a run scored and a walk. The performance marked his team-leading 10th multi-hit game of the year. Hunter Cullen went a perfect 3-of-3 at the dish and scored a run.
Zach Weisz blasted his first career home run in his only at bat of the game in the eighth. Ruben Cardenas returned to the lineup after being out with a lower back injury since March 5th. He didn't waste any time producing offensively, as he jacked a homer over the left field fence in the eighth, finishing 1-of-4 for the night.
The Weisz and Cardenas home runs came back-to-back, marking the first time the Titans had recorded consecutive jacks since J.D. Davis and Michael Lorenzen connected for consecutive home runs vs. USC on April 9, 2013.
Timmy Richards extended his on-base streak to 21 straight games and his hit streak to 11, as he went 1-for-3 from the plate with a walk.
The Titans improved to 9-1 when scoring in the first inning this year, as Scott Hurst led off the game with a single to center, followed by a Valenzuela bunt single. Both Hurst and Valenzuela then advanced to third and second respectively on a passed ball, before Taylor Bryant laced a one-out double down the left field line to score both runs.
Fullerton received some timely hitting once again in the sixth frame, as Chris Hudgins reached via a one-out walk, while Hunter singled up the middle and Hurst reached on a hit by pitch to load the bases with two away after a Cardenas strikeout. Valenzuela came through with a single to center field to bring home two more runs and make it a 4-0 Fullerton lead.
The Titans then tacked on two more in the eighth after the back-to-back one-out jacks by Weisz and Cardenas to extend things to the final of 6-0.
UC Davis' Robert Garcia (1-2) suffered the loss after surrendering four earned runs on eight hits and three walks in 5.2 innings.
The Titans aim two clinch the series and notch their fifth straight win, as they'll take on the Aggies again tomorrow at 1 pm PT out at Goodwin Field.
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