SAN DIEGO - Cal State Fullerton gave up four runs in the third inning and that proved to be its downfall in a 7-2 non-conference loss to San Diego State Tuesday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
The Titans (27-16) scored a run in the first two innings but were kept off the scoreboard for the rest of the game by the Aztecs (13-30), who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Fullerton posted just six hits on the night and just two after the second inning. Hank LoForte was 2-for-2 as he came off the bench in the game and Dalton Blaser had the only RBI on the night for the Titans.
On a night where both teams went with a staff day on the mound, lefty Marcus Reyes picked up the win for the Aztecs, going three innings and allowing just one hit. He walked two and struck out two.
Brett Conine took the loss for Fullerton, allowing three runs on four hits in two innings of work.
The Titans took a 1-0 lead in the first inning after Timmy Richards hit a one-out single to left field. He advanced to second on a groundout and then came around to score on a single through the right side off the bat of Blaser, who extended his hitting streak to six games. Richards has now hit safely in his fifth straight.
In the second, Ruben Cardenas led off with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice. He would steal third base and score when third baseman David Hensley could not handle the throw from the catcher, putting Fullerton up 2-0.
The Aztecs responded in the third, loading the bases against Fullerton starter Brett Conine. Gavin Velasquez came in and gave up a sacrifice fly for the first out, scoring Denz'l Chapman to make it 2-1. A foul out put the Titans one out away from getting out of the jam but Spencer Thornton tripled to right-center on the first pitch he saw from Velasquez to clear the bases and give the Aztecs a 3-2 lead. Thornton then came in to score on a wild pitch to make it 4-2 and cap the scoring in the frame.
They added another run in the fourth, loading the bases for the second straight inning and getting a sacrifice fly from Alan Trejo to score Hunter Stratton and make it 5-2 for San Diego State.
In the fifth, San Diego State padded the lead a little more with two more runs, loading the bases for the third straight inning. An RBI single and a hit by pitch put the Aztecs up 7-2 and they never looked back.
The Titans will return home this weekend for Big West Conference action in a three-game series with UC Riverside, which is tied for fourth in the conference and just two games back of Fullerton in the conference standings
Notes: Tuesday's loss snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Titans against San Diego State. The Aztecs last victory over Fullerton came on Feb. 20, 2007; an 8-7 decision at Tony Gwynn Stadium… Fullerton is now 5-2 in Tuesday's this season… The Titans have just one non-conference game left this season, a Tuesday matchup against USC on May 24 at Goodwin Field.