LONG BEACH, Calif. - No. 23 Cal State Fullerton surrendered a pair of unearned runs and they proved to be the difference in a 2-1 loss to No. 22 Long Beach State Friday night at Blair Field.
The Titans (34-21, 16-7) saw their lead in the Big West Conference standings get reduced to one game by the Dirtbags (36-19, 15-8) on Friday night. The final game of the series will determine who gets the automatic berth into the NCAA postseason. A Titans victory Saturday would clinch the conference title outright for Fullerton while a Dirtbags victory would net Long Beach State a share of the conference crown and the automatic bid due to winning the series against Fullerton.
With two outs in the ninth, Scott Hurst had an infield single against Dirtbags reliever Austin McGeorge to keep the Titans hopes alive in the game. With Ruben Cardenas up, a 1-2 pitch from McGeorge bounced in the dirt and Hurst broke for second. Catcher David Banuelos made the throw and Hurst was ruled out at second to end the game.
Hurst finished the night 2-for-4 with the lone RBI for Fullerton while Jerrod Bravo was 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Hank LoForte reached base all three times he stepped up to the plate, going 2-for-2 with a walk.
Darren McCaughan was spectacular on the mound for the Dirtbags, allowing just one run on six hits. He walked one and struck out three, earning his 10th win of the season and becoming the first Long Beach State pitcher to reach 10 wins in a season since 2005.
McGeorge worked one and 2/3 innings and allowed just one hit to pick up his fifth save.
The Titans took a 1-0 lead in the fourth after Bravo doubled to left with one out. A single by Tanner Pinkston advanced Bravo to third and then Hurst laid down a bunt-single to score the run and put Fullerton on top.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth inning when an error proved costly for the Titans. With one out, Luke Rasmussen hit a groundball to third. Jake Pavletich ranged to his left and made the throw to first but Dalton Blaser could not hang on to it. Brock Lundquist walked and then Daniel Jackson singled to load the bases against Titans starter John Gavin.
Banuelos then worked a walk to force in the tying run and put an end to Gavin's night. Reliever Scott Serigstad came in and faced pinch-hitter Garrett Nelson, who promptly chopped the first pitch to Blaser at first. Blaser fielded the ball and stepped on the bag for the out but could not get the runner at the plate and the Dirtbags took a 2-1 lead, one they would not relinquish.
The teams face off for the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon as Colton Eastman gets the start for Fullerton while Tanner Brown will go for the Dirtbags. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Prime Ticket. Check your local listings for the channel in your area.
Notes: Pavletich went 0-for-3 on Friday night, putting an end to his 14-game hitting streak… The Titans are now 7-12 in one-run games and have lost their last four one-run contests. Fullerton's last win by one run came on May 6 in a 2-1 victory over UC Riverside… Fullerton has now lost 10 games in which the team holds its opponents to two runs or less… Friday night marked just the third time the Titans have lost a game when outhitting their opponents. They are 30-3 in those games.