Fullerton Defeats San Luis Obispo, 8-5

LONG BEACH —  Cal State Fullerton Coach George Horton is starting to call it his baseball “three-ring circus,” because of the madcap way the Titans have been winning games lately.

Fullerton scored five runs in the eighth inning and went on to an 8-5 victory over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Saturday in the Big West Conference tournament at Blair Field. Two of those runs came across after a tag was missed in a rundown and a wild throw sailed into the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo dugout.

The victory, Fullerton’s 13th in its last 16 games, advanced the Titans (36-22-1) to today’s final round at 1 p.m. against Long Beach State.

Fullerton was trailing by a run when Aaron Rowand and Jerome Alviso each singled in the eighth. The next batter, Chris Beck, drilled a line drive to center, and Rowand came home.

But suddenly Alviso was caught between second and third in a rundown. Alviso fell to the ground when third baseman Steve Rohlmeier chased him, but Rohlmeier missed the tag. Instead of focusing on the fallen Alviso, Rohlmeier tried to throw out Beck scrambling into second. That also failed, but it didn’t end there. Second baseman Scott Kidd’s throw back to third was wild, and both runners scored.

Rohlmeier said he thought his swipe at Alviso touched him, but the call went against him. “But I was more worried about the guy at second,” Rohlmeier said. “I don’t know where my head was.”

The play was the turning point in the game. Given such an unexpected gift, the Titans kept rolling, adding two runs on consecutive hits by Nakia Hill, Reed Johnson, C.J. Ankrum and Steve Chatham before the inning ended. It was Ankrum’s third hit of the game.

The stunned Mustangs (37-21) never recovered. It was Fullerton’s sixth victory against them in seven games.

“You just have to show up and pay your money to see what’s going to happen next,” Horton said, jokingly. “It was kind of an ugly win, but we’ve had uglier ones.”

Fullerton, which also won a day earlier against Nevada on a throwing error in the 11th inning, relied on the solid relief pitching of Scott Hild the rest of the way. It was Hild’s fourth victory in eight decisions.

Hild took over for starter Brandon Duckworth in the seventh after Duckworth had given up four runs on seven hits. Hild gave up only two hits in the final three innings, although one was a bases-empty home run to Marty Camacho in the bottom of the eighth. Hild had five strikeouts, including two in the ninth.

“I’ve felt good the last couple of weeks,” Hild said. “I’ve had a quality curve ball. That and I’ve been getting a lot of first-pitch strikes.”

Horton had hoped to save Hild to start today, but now will go with either John Alkire or freshman Michael Garner from an already drained staff. The Titans still must win twice today to win the championship.

Duckworth got off to a shaky start, giving up a run in the first and two in the second.

Taber Maier’s double and Rohlmeier’s two-out single gave the Mustangs a run in the first. Duckworth had control problems in the second, walking the first two batters. Ankrum made a diving stop down the first base line to get one out, but R.J. Radler and Ryan Brennan each singled in runs.

The Titans missed an opportunity for a big inning in the fourth. Consecutive hits by Mike Lamb, Rowand and Alviso produced one run, but Rowand was caught between second and third on a failed double steal.

Fullerton came back to tie it in the top of the fifth, thanks to some sudden wildness by Mustang starter Jason Porto (2-1). The Mustang pitcher hit Fullerton’s first three batters--Hill, Johnson and Ankrum--then walked Chatham with the bases loaded.

The victory moved Fullerton a step closer in its bid for an NCAA at-large berth if the Titans don’t win the automatic berth today.