FULLERTON, Calif. --- The seventh-ranked Titans held one-run leads twice in the ballgame, but a season-high four errors plagued Fullerton, as it dropped a 5-4 contest to San Diego State, Wednesday evening at Goodwin Field.
For the second straight night, it was Ruben Cardenas leading the way offensively for Fullerton, going 2-of-5 at the dish with two RBI and a run scored. Dillon Persinger recorded a hit, scored two runs and an RBI in three plate appearances.
Gavin Velasquez was stellar in relief for the Titans, tossing 2.0 scoreless frames and recording two strikeouts.
The Aztecs (3-2) struck first in this one, as Alan Trejo scored on a wild pitch after he led off the game with a double to give SDSU a 1-0 after the first inning.
San Diego State threatened for more in the third, but Jack Pabich wiggled out of trouble, forcing a 4-6-3 inning ending double play. It would be the first of two twin killings the Titans would get in the game.
Fullerton (2-2) took the positive momentum into the bottom half of the third, as Persinger and Cardenas collected RBIs, stringing together back-to-back two-out singles after Hunter Cullen sent a double down the right field line. The Titans struck for three consecutive hits in the frame to take a 2-1 advantage into the fourth.
SDSU later regained the lead in the fifth, as it pushed across two runs in the inning, but Fullerton would respond. Persinger drew a one-out walk, while Cardenas followed with a double to center to score the first run of the frame. Three batters later Taylor Bryant drew the fourth walk of the inning to score another run, putting the Titans back on top at 4-3.
However, that's all the offense they would be able to muster, as the Aztecs eventually scored two more runs in the sixth and seventh frames to reach the final of 5-4.
The Titans now head to Las Vegas to take on UNLV in a three-game weekend set, beginning on Friday at 6:05 pm PT. This will be the first of what is a season-long equaling eight-game road swing.
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