FULLERTON, Calif. - Josh Vargas' only hit of the game was a crucial one for Cal State Fullerton as his bases-clearing triple in the eighth broke a 3-3 tie and helped carry the Titans to a 7-4 Big West Conference win over CSUN Friday night at Goodwin Field.
Vargas stepped up in a tie game with two outs in the eighth inning and smoked a 3-2 pitch from Matadors (20-6, 0-1) reliever Andrew Weston to left field for a bases-clearing triple and then scored on a throwing error to put the Titans (14-11, 1-0) ahead for good.
Vargas finished the day 1-for-4 with a career-high four RBIs and also scored a run.
Weston would draw the loss for the Matadors, surrendering the four runs, three earned, on three hits and two walks. He struck out two.
Miles Chambers picked up his third win of the season, going one and 1/3 innings of relief. He surrendered one run on four hits and struck out one.
Offensively, Tanner Pinkston led the way for Fullerton as he recorded his fifth three-hit game of the season, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. He was the only player on the Titans with a multi-hit game on the night.
Fullerton took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after Jerrod Bravo worked a walk to start the inning. Dalton Blaser singled up the middle to put runners on first and second and then Chris Hudgins bunted the runners over. With one out, Vargas hit an RBI groundout to second to bring in Bravo and put the Titans on the board first.
It stayed that way until the fifth inning. After a leadoff popout, Elias Orona walked and then Fred Smith lined a single off the back of Fullerton starter Blake Quinn's leg. Yusuke Akitoshi walked to load the bases and that was it for Quinn as the Titans went to the bullpen.
Scott Serigstad entered but walked Branden Berry to force in the tying run and then Justin Toerner hit a sacrifice fly to plate the go-ahead run and put CSUN up 2-1.
Quinn finished the night going four and 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on two hits. He walked four and struck out seven while Serigstad went two and 2/3 innings of relief, allowing one run on two hits. He walked two and struck out three.
In the sixth, the Titans tied it after Pinkston hit a one-out double to right and then Bravo followed with a double to left to bring him in and make it 2-2.
Fullerton reclaimed the lead in the seventh after Niko Pacheco blasted his first career home run off the video board, putting an end to Rosenberg's and giving the Titans a 3-2 lead.
CSUN struck back right away, tying the game back up at 3-3 on an RBI single from Albee Weiss with runners on second and third. But Chambers came in and stranded a pair of runners on base to keep the game tied, setting the stage for Vargas' heroics in the bottom half of the inning.
The teams will return to action Saturday night with Connor Seabold getting the start for Fullerton while CSUN counters with Conner O'Neill, making his second start of the season. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Notes: Vargas' four-RBI game was the third time a Titans player has driven in four runs in a game and the first since Blaser did it against San Diego State on March 15… Pinkston now has six multi-hit games this season including five three-hit games… Blaser extended his hitting streak to six games with his hit in the second inning… Tyler Stieb returned to the lineup Friday after missing the last three games with sore ribs… Pacheco's home run was the 13th hit by the Titans this season.