BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - No. 23 Cal State Fullerton let opportunities slip away as they stranded 25 combined runners on Saturday as they dropped a pair of games to Indiana at Bart Kaufman Field.
The Titans (9-8) had 17 hits combined but also committed six errors as they dropped both games by a grand total of three runs to the Hoosiers (12-4)
GAME ONE RECAP
The Titans committed a number of mental errors in the final two innings and it cost them the opener as they fell 5-4 in 10 innings to Indiana.
Fullerton committed four errors in the last two innings including three in the 10th inning and was called for runner's interference in the top of the ninth to kill a bases loaded rally.
The Titans loaded the bases in the top of the ninth with the score tied 4-4 after Turner Buis led off with a pinch-hit single. Timmy Richards was hit by a pitch and then Josh Vargas reached when pitcher Thomas Belcher threw the ball high to first base on a sacrifice attempt.
But Tyler Stieb struck out and then David Olmedo-Barrera hit a chopper to second base with the infield playing in. Casey Rodrigue threw to home for the out and then pinch runner Hunter Cullen collided with catcher Brad Hartong. The umpires gathered after an argument from Indiana head coach Chris Lemonis and then ruled Cullen interfered with Hartong, calling Olmedo-Barrera out at first on interference, squashing the golden opportunity.
In the bottom of the 10th, the Hoosiers got the lead off man as Craig Dedelow reached on an error by the shortstop Richards. Hartong then laid down a bunt and pitcher Maxwell Gibbs elected to try to get the lead runner, but his throw sailed into left field and the Hoosiers had men on second and third with no one out.
Scott Donley stepped in and chopped a 0-1 offering from Gibbs to short, but Richards couldn't handle the ball and the winning run came across to score to give the Hoosiers the opening game of the series.
GAME TWO RECAP
The Titans left 10 more runners stranded on base in the second game of the doubleheader and wasted a brilliant effort from Justin Garza as the Hoosiers completed the sweep with a 2-0 shutout victory.
Four pitchers combined to shutout the Titans, scattering six hits and posting 12 strikeouts despite allowing four walks.
Rodrigue led off the game with a triple to right-center for the Hoosiers and would come in to score on the ensuing sacrifice fly by Dedelow.
The Hoosiers would add an insurance run in the eighth inning on an Austin Cangelosi home run off Titans reliever Willie Kuhl, but the Hoosiers wouldn't need it as Caleb Baragar, Brian Hobbie, Austin Foote and Ryan Halstead preserved the shutout. Hobbie picked up his second win of the year after entering the game in the fifth inning and pitching two and 1/3 innings of one-hit relief while Halstead picked up his third save of the year, recording the last four outs.
Garza took the tough loss despite putting forth his second straight quality start, going six innings and allowing just one earned run on five hits. He walked two and struck out seven.
The teams will return to the field to wrap up the series on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. ET/ 10:05 a.m. PT as the Titans send up freshman John Gavin to the hill to take on right-hander Jake Kelzer.
Notes: Jake Jefferies' eight-game hitting streak was snapped in game one but went 3-for-4 in the second game. He also reached base in both games Saturday, extending his streak to 16 straight… Jerrod Bravo went 1-for-4 in game two to extend his hitting streak to five games… Thomas Eshelman tied a career-high as he allowed 10 hits in the first game and allowed a season-high four earned runs, striking out six en route to a no-decision… Olmedo-Barrera and Scott Hurst each recorded their first career home runs in game one, both of them to right-center field.
