April 29, 2011
Box Score
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FULLERTON, Calif. - Starter John Prato Matthews kept the Tigers in the ballgame as Pacific took a 6-4 lead into the fifth inning against No. 10 Cal State Fullerton Friday night, but the Titans scored eight unanswered runs the rest of the way to take game one, 12-6, at Goodwin Field. Sophomore 3B Dustin Torchio (Santa Cruz, Calif.) and 1B Brian Martin (Livermore, Calif.) each posted three-hit games for the Tigers.
Martin, who reached base four times, scored two runs in the ballgame to become the second Tiger in Pacific history to have 200 hits, 100 runs batted in, and 100 runs scored in his career, joining Chip Sell (1991-94).
Martin picked up an RBI single in the first inning after a one-out double by Torchio to get Pacific on the board. It was the fifth straight game the Tigers scored in the first inning.
But the Titans answered with three in the bottom of the first, as CF Ivory Thomas and 3B Anthony Trajano led off with back-to-back singles. DH Tyler Pill bounced a grounder into the hole and short. The Tigers got Trajano caught in a rundown as Thomas scored, but Trajano's contact with the tag at second base jarred the ball loose as the Titans tied the game with nobody out. 1B Nick Ramirez and LF Carlos Lopez each followed with RBI singles as the Titans took a 3-1 lead.
Sophomore 2B Tyger Pederson (Palo Alto, Calif.) walked to open the third, and Torchio followed with a single. After senior DH Matt Carvutto (Poway, Calif.) was hit by pitch to load the bases, Martin delivered a single to second to plate two runs as the Tigers tied the game 3-3. Junior LF Daniel Johnston added an RBI fielder's choice to put Pacific ahead 4-3, and after junior CF Brett Christopher (Livermore, Calif.) singled to center to reload the bases, junior C Aaron Hassel (Tarzana, Calif.) was hit by pitch as the Tigers led by two, 5-3, chasing Fullerton starter Colin O'Connell after two and two-thirds.
Prato Matthews settled down after the first, retiring the first two in the second, and junior RF Allen Riley (Fresno, Calif.) gunned down Pill trying to stretch a single into a double to end the inning. Matthews set down the Titans in order in the third, with an run coming home in the fourth. C Jared Deacon singled with one out and was sacrificed to second. Thomas followed with a single to cut Pacific's lead to 5-4.
But the Tigers picked the run back in the fifth. Martin opened with a single to left and as the ball skipped past the left fielder, Martin slid into third base with no one out and came in to score on an RBI single by Riley off RHP Raymon Hernandez.
In the fifth, the Titans touched Matthews, as Lopez doubled with one out and 2B Greg Velasquez singled through the left side. With runners on the corners, Velasquez broke for second and the throw down was high as Lopez took home to cut the Tigers advantage to 5-4.
After a balk and a hit by pitch, SS Keegan Dale singled to left field. Johnston's throw beat the runner to third, but as Anthony Hutting slid in, the ball caromed away and rolled into the dugout, giving the Titans a 7-6 lead.
Prato Matthews (0-3) departed the victim of the bad bounce after 4.2 innings pitched, allowing five earned runs with a pair of strikeouts.
But the Titans dropped four runs in the sixth off RHP Jared Wagner (Danville, Calif.), as Trajano singled and Pill walked. Trajano came around to score on a strikeout-wild pitch, and Lopez added a sacrifice fly. Hutting walked, and after freshman LHP Kyle Crawford (Modesto, Calif.) hit Deacon, Dale singled to center to plate two runs.
Fullerton, ranked No. 10 in the Baseball America Top 25, added a run in the seventh off sophomore LHP Paul Moeller (Folsom, Calif.) via a pair of walks, a wild pitch and a single from Ramirez.
RHP Chris Devenski tossed the final four innings for Fullerton, allowing three hits with six strikeouts to earn his first save. Hernandez earned the win with 2.2 innings pitched, and one earned run allowed.
Christopher picked up two hits for Pacific while junior SS Josh Simms (La Mesa, Calif.) singled in four at bats to extend his hit streak to 11 straight games, tied for the longest on Pacific this season.
The Tigers fall to 13-24 on the season, 5-8 in the Big West while Fullerton improves to 29-12 overall, 10-3 in the Big West.
The Tigers send senior RHP Marcus Pointer (Pacifica, Calif.) to the mound for Saturday's 6 p.m. game two. Pill will take the hill for Fullerton. The series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.
