FULLERTON, Calif. – Tanner Bibee, Blake Workman and Brett Conine were superb, combining for nine innings of shutout baseball, as Cal State Fullerton took down Grand Canyon, 2-0 to earn its first series sweep of the season, Sunday afternoon at Goodwin Field.
For Fullerton (7-10), the win streak is now at three consecutive games and the shutout marks its first of the season.
Offensively, Chris Prescott came through with is team-leading seventh multi-hit game of the season, as he drove in a run while going 2-of-4 at the dish. Ruben Cardenas also drove in a run on a hit, while Hank LoForte and Jacob Pavletich each came through with a knock.
.@Chris_Pr8scott breaking down today's victory over Grand Canyon University #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/KleZw5Fx5Y
— Titan Baseball (@BaseballTitans) March 18, 2018
Mitchell Berryhill and Brett Borgogno each came through with a hit and a run scored. Brett Conine was nails in the ninth, surrendering just a base hit, but striking out two to record his third save of the season.
Blake Workman (3-1) was fantastic in relief, earning his first win of the season. He tossed 3.1 shut down innings, surrendered only two knocks and struck out two. Tanner Bibee gave the Titans exactly what they needed from their Sunday starter, as he went 4.2 shutout innings, surrendered just four hits and fanned three.
Borgogno stayed hot, extending his hit streak to three straight games, after coming into the series hitless on the year. He doubled to left field to begin the third inning. Then Valenzuela laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance him to third, before Prescott's grounder to first allowed Borgogno to score from third and put the Titans up 1-0.
The Titans got one more in the fifth, after Berryhill hustled down the line to beat out an infield single to shortstop. With two outs Prescott roped one through the left side to put runners on the corners, before Cardenas stepped up with a clutch two out single to center to score Berryhill. The Titans led 2-0.
While it went may have gone down as an out in the scorebook, Valenzuela put together one of the more impressive at bats of the season in the fifth. He battled through an 18-pitch at-bat, which at the time equaled 21 percent of GSU's Repacich's total pitches.
That's all the Titans needed, as Conine fought throw a base hit and an error to earn the save in the ninth.
The Titans aim to extend their win streak, as they welcome in San Diego to Goodwin Field at 6 pm PT.
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