FULLERTON, Calif. - Junior first baseman Tanner Pinkston had a career night, driving in four runs and blasting his second career home run as Cal State Fullerton walloped Wichita State, 9-1, Friday night at Goodwin Field.
Pinkston had his eighth career three-hit game, doing 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs to lead the Titans (7-6) offense that pounded out 12 hits on the night.
Dalton Blaser extended his hitting streak to six games and tallied his sixth multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-2 with three walks. Timmy Richards posted his fourth career three-hit game, going 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored.
The Shockers (4-9) pitching staff struggled with their control all night, issuing 11 walks and hitting three batters. The Titans went on to leave a season-high 17 runners on base on Friday night.
Blake Quinn picked up his third win of the season for the Titans, going six innings and allowing one run on three hits. He walked three and struck out six.
The Titans took a 2-0 lead right out of the gate, sending eight batters to the plate in the first inning. Josh Vargas reached on an error and then scored on a double to right-center off the bat of Richards. One out later, Blaser smacked a single through the right side to bring in Richards to make it 2-0.
With Chris Hudgins batting, Wichita State starter Sam Tewes picked off to first and then doubled over on the mound with an apparent arm injury. He was pulled from the game and Chase Williams entered to replace him. The Titans loaded the bases but Williams got Coby Kauhaahaa to fly out to end the threat and limit the damage to two runs in the frame.
The Shockers got one back in the third inning as Dayton Dugas singled with one out and then Tanner Kirk followed with a pop-fly single to shallow center. Mikel Mucha walked to load the bases and then Luke Ritter hit into a fielder's choice force out at second base to score Dugas and make it 2-1.
It stayed that way until the fifth inning when Scott Hurst led off with a single to left-center. He advanced to second on a sacrifice and eventually reached third on a wild pitch before scoring on an RBI groundout from Tristan Hildebrandt, making it 3-1 Titans.
In the sixth, the Titans added another run as they loaded the bases for the third time in the game. With one out, Hurst skied a flyball to center, a sacrifice fly to Mikel Mucha that scored Pinkston to make it 4-1.
Fullerton put the game out of reach in the seventh inning, scoring four times and batted around, sending 10 men to the plate. Pinkston scored the biggest blow, blasting a three-run home run to right-center, his first of the season and second of his career. Blaser then drew his third walk of the game and came around to score on a double by Hudgins. All four runs came in with two outs in the frame.
Hudgins finished the night 1-for-3 with a double.
The Titans will send Connor Seabold to the mound on Saturday night for his first start of the season and he will face off against right-hander Willie Schwanke. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Notes: Pinkston has two career home runs, both of them coming against Wichita State. He hit his first career homer as a sophomore at Wichita State on March 30, 2014, 165 at-bats ago… Miles Chambers made his first appearance out of the bullpen at home and first since Feb. 21 at Stanford. He retired the side in order in the ninth and struck out one… The Titans pitching staff did not allow a base hit to the Shockers after the fourth inning when leadoff man Gunnar Troutwine singled to open the frame… The Titans are now 4-0 all-time against the Shockers at Goodwin Field.