FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton score all eight of their runs in three straight innings and they needed every one as they defeated NC Dinos 8-7 Monday night in an exhibition game at Goodwin Field.
Freshman Scott Hurst led the Titans offense with two hits and four RBIs while also coming around to score twice. Dustin Vaught was 2-for-3 with a run scored and Hunter Cullen was 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the Titans. Overall, the Fullerton offense pounded out 12 hits on the night including four extra-base hits.
After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the Titans took the lead in the third on one swing of the bat from Hurst. With a man on base, Hurst snuck an opposite field home run that clipped the top of the wall and went over to put the Titans ahead 2-1. It was a lead they would not relinquish. They would add two more runs in the inning thanks to a pair of errors by NC Dinos third baseman Chang-Min Mo.
In the next inning, the Titans padded their lead off reliever Hye-Chun Le with a two-out rally. With a runner on first, Dustin Vaught hit a double that bounced off the third-base bag and launched itself 20 feet in the air, allowing him to get to second standing up. Dalton Blaser cashed in Vaught and Hurst with a single up the middle to give the Titans a 6-1 lead.
In the fifth inning, Hurst added another pair of RBIs as he hit a two-out double to center to plate Cullen and Jerrod Bravo and put the Titans up 8-1.
Bravo finished the night 1-for-4 with a run scored.
The NC Dinos would not go away, however, chipping away at the Titans lead. They scratched out a pair of runs in the sixth and then put up a four-spot in the seventh to trim the Titans lead to 8-7.
But Henry Omana and Tyler Peitzmeier came in to pitch a perfect two and 2/3 innings in relief to secure the victory.
The Titans will get back to regular season action on Friday night as they welcome Baylor to Goodwin Field for a three-game series.