June 3, 2007
San Diego, Calif. - Josh Fellhauer and Evan McArthur combined for five hits and Adam Jorgenson went the final 3.1 innings for his eighth save in Cal State Fullerton's 6-4 victory over Fresno State late Saturday night in a winner's bracket game at the NCAA Regional Tournament in San Diego.
The Bulldogs (37-28) will play an elimination game Sunday at 4 p.m. against Minnesota, which eliminated top-seeded San Diego earlier Saturday, 6-5, in 10 innings. Fullerton (35-23) will face the winner of that game at 8 p.m. on Sunday night needing one more win to advance to the Super Regionals. If Fullerton loses, the teams will play again at 8 p.m. on Monday night.
Jeff Kaplan went the first 5.2 innings to improve to 11-3. Clayton Allison allowed all six runs in six innings and fell to 10-5.
Clark Hardman singled to open the third inning and went to third as Fellhauer perfectly executed a hit-and-run single throught the vacated hole at shortstop. Hardman scored as John Curtis bounced out to first and Fellhauer cruised home on Chris Jones' double down the left-field line.
Fellhauer doubled to open the fifth and a walk to Nick Mahin and an infield single by Chris Jones loaded the bases. Fellhauer scored on a sacrifice fly by Matt Wallach and Mahin and Jones came home on a double down the left-field line by McArthur. Cory Jones singled McArthur home for the fourth run of the inning.
Fresno State got on the board in the fifth on a solo home run by Todd Sandell and got the final out of the Fullerton sixth when left fielder Steve Susdorf threw out Fellhauer trying to score from second on a two-out single by Chris Jones.
In the bottom of the sixth, a double by Susdorf and singles by Ozzie Lewis and Tommy Mendonca made it 6-2. Kaplan got two pop ups before walking Sandell. When he threw ball one to Erik Wetzel, the Titans went to Jorgenson, who fanned Wetzel on three pitches.
A single by Brian Lapin, a stolen base and a ground-rule double by Lewis made it 6-3 in the seventh.
In the ninth, Lewis' two-out double scored Loren Story but Jorgenson struck out Mendonca for his sixth strikeout to end the game.
Fullerton is now 8-2 all-time in NCAA post-season play against the Bulldogs, who lost twice to the Titans in the 2006 Regional at Fullerton.
With UC Irvine unbeaten in Texas and Long Beach State and UC Riverside both 1-1, the Big West Conference is 6-2 in Regional play.