Louisville, Ky. – Louisville reliever Zack Burdi plunked Cal State Fullerton's Timmy Richards with the bases loaded in the top of the 10th inning to force home the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run as the Titans emerged victorious in the first game of the Louisville Super Regional, 3-2.
The Titans (38-22) hold a 1-0 lead over the No. 3 national seed Cardinals (46-17) the best-of-three series for a trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The second game of the series will be played Sunday at 9 a.m. Pacific Time at Jim Patterson Stadium and will be broadcast on ESPN2/ESPNU.
The game that was billed as a battle between All-American starters Thomas Eshelman (Fullerton) and Kyle Funkhouser (Louisville) found itself in the hands of the teams' bullpens. Tyler Peitzmeier (4-3), who logged his first blown save of the year in the bottom of the ninth, earned the victory with three innings of work. He gave up a run on four hits and struck out one. Lincoln Henzman (5-2) gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases in the 10th and took the loss with the Richards hit-by-pitch RBI.
The Titans were just two outs away from victory in the ninth when Cardinals designated hitter Mike White showed his flair for dramatics with a one-out, solo home run off Peitzmeier in the bottom of the ninth to knot the game at 2-2.
Peitzmeier was looking for the two-inning save of Eshelman's game until White's ball cleared the right field wall. Eshelman was lifted after seven innings and 100 pitches. He allowed just one run on eight Cardinals hits and struck out five in the no decision.
The Titans were in the lead, 2-1, after forging ahead in the top of the eighth with rightfielder Dalton Blaser's second two-out, RBI-single of the game.
David Olmedo-Barrera walked to lead off the inning, prompting Cardinals skipper Dan McDonnell to lift his starter Kyle Funkhosuer after 121 pitches. Olmedo-Barrera went to second on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Jared Bravo, to third on a wild pitch by Henzman and then home on Blaser's single to center.
Both teams traded runs in the sixth inning to break the scoreless tie. After singles by Olmedo-Barrera and Tanner Pinksotn and a successful double steal, Blaser got the Titans on the board first with an RBI-single.
Louisville quickly evened the score in the bottom half of the frame as Brendan McKay led off with his fourth home run of the year to right. It was the fifth homer of the year surrendered by Eshelman.
The game was scoreless through five innings between 2014 Team USA teammates Eshelman and Funkouser. The Cardinals scattered six hits off the Titan All-American and even drew a walk – the first Eshelman had surrendered in 35.2 innings. Jerrod Bravo and Tyler Stieb had hits off Funkhouser and the Titans had baserunners via a walk and an error but pushed nothing across.
NOTES:
• The Titans are 17-10 (.629) in 12 Super Regional appearances dating back to the tournament format change in 1999. This series in Louisville is just the third Super Regional the Titans have played on the road (at Ohio State in 1999 and at UCLA in 2010)
• Eshelman issued his first walk in 35.2 innings (May 8 vs. UC Santa Barbara) to Devin Hairston in the bottom of the second inning.
• Bravo Reached base in his 42nd straight game with a single to center in the second inning.
