FULLERTON, Calif. – With the bases loaded and the game tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning, first-year transfer AJ Curtis stepped to the plate and hit a single up the middle to score Sahid Valenzuela and give Fullerton the 5-4 victory.
Valenzuela led-off the inning with a clutch triple down the right field line to give the Titans some momentum. Freshman Zach Lew was then hit by a pitch before the Alumni team intentionally walked Kameron Guangorena to load the bases.
Guangorena had an impressive debut for the Titans, going 2-for-2 at the plate with one RBI, one run and three walks. The freshman started in the designated hitter position before eventually moving to catcher later in the game.
The double-play duo of Hank LoForte and Valenzuela picked up right where they left off last season. LoForte went 2-for-4 with one RBI while Valenzuela wen 3-for-4 with two runs.
Over 40 former Cal State Fullerton greats made their way to Goodwin Field to compete in the annual Alumni Game, including major leaguers Chad Wallach, Michael Lorenzen and J.D. Davis.
"You really couldn't ask for a better program," said former Titan Scott Hurst. "It's what we live for now, to try and beat these guys but at the end of the day we're all a family and we're wishing these guys good look this season."
That's it from the alumni game. The 2019 squad wins on a walk-off by AJ Curtis to take the game 5-4. #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/acmKoPlCvA
— Titans Baseball (@FullertonBSB) January 27, 2019
Freshman pitcher Michael Knorr threw a good game against his teammates as he pitched for the Alumni team. Knorr went four innings giving up four hits and two earned runs. Timothy Josten started the game on the mound for the 2019 Titans and went three innings giving up just one hit and one earned run. Evan Larsen came on in relief of Josten in his first game back from injury and went four innings giving up just one hit and no earned runs.
The Titans now look to prepare for the start of the regular season as they head to Arizona for the MLB4 Tournament with the first game on Feb. 15 against No. 19 TCU.
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 baseball team has established its own Twitter (FullertonBSB) and Instagram accounts (fullertonbsb).