STANFORD, Calif. – The Titans rallied late, but they couldn't quite get over the hump, as No. 13 Stanford edged No. 17 Cal State Fullerton 5-3, Saturday afternoon out at Sunken Diamond.
Fullerton (0-2) outhit Stanford (2-0) 8-7 but left eight runners on base for the day.
Chris Prescott, Daniel Cope, and Tyler Lasch all recorded multi-hit performances. Prescott went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored, while Cope also put together a 2-for-3 for day with an RBI and a run scored. Lasch picked up his first two knocks of his college career, going 2-of-4 with a double.
Ruben Cardenas also chipped in with a hit and a run scored, while Jake Pavletich led all players with a game-high equaling two RBI. Andrew Quezada (0-1) made his collegiate debut on the mound, but unfortunately took the loss, tossing 5.1 innings, while surrendering five earned runs off of seven hits while fanning four. Stanford's Kris Bubic (1-0) earned the win, surrendering one earned run off of three hits in 5.0 innings.
For the second straight game, it was Stanford who drew first blood, as it scored four runs off of three hits in the second inning to take a quick 4-0 lead.
The Titans battled back with a run in the fifth after Cope and Lasch began the inning with back-to-back doubles. Pavletich eventually brought in Cope from third base via a grounder to short.
However, the Cardinal answered in the bottom half of the inning to extend its lead back to 5-1 heading to the sixth.
Prescott and Cope sparked another rally for the Titans in the seventh, as Prescott led off the frame with a knock up the middle before Cope walked to put runners at first and second. Pavletich later picked up his second RBI of the game, producing a clutch two-out hit through the left side to bring home a run and cut the deficit to 5-2.
The Titans picked up one more run in the eighth inning. Cardenas fueled a two-out rally with a single up the middle, followed by a Prescott hit by pitch. Cope then singled up the middle to drive home Cardenas to make it 5-3, but that's as close as Fullerton would get.
The Titans look to bounce back and win the series finale tomorrow at 1 pm PT.
SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.
FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) Instagram (FullertonTitans) and Snapchat (FullertonTitans). In addition, the softball team has established its own Twitter (@CSUFSoftball), Facebook (Cal State Fullerton Titan Softball) and Instagram accounts (@CSUFSoftball).