June 11, 2007

Fullerton outplays UCLA
Titans starter Wes Roemer hurls complete game

By Heather Gripp

FULLERTON - The Cal State Fullerton baseball team has a practice drill it calls "battle station." It is designed to improve the Titans' situational hitting and make them better two-out hitters.
Saturday's opening game of the NCAA Super Regional against UCLA turned into the ultimate execution of the drill. Cal State Fullerton scored five runs and had seven hits with two outs within the first two innings en route to a 12-2 victory in front of 3,394 at Goodwin Field.

UCLA ace Tyson Brummett, who has thrown seven complete games this season, was out of the game by the fifth inning in an outing that matched the senior right-hander's shortest start of the year.

"The two-out RBIs, those hurt pitchers a lot," Titans third baseman Evan McArthur said. "... We've been working a lot at practice as far as battling. We call it `battle station,' being able to battle pitchers, good pitching until we get something we can handle. We never gave in, we fouled off and gave ourselves a chance to handle something."

Fullerton (37-23) is a win away from advancing to the College World Series for the fourth time in five years, while UCLA (33-27) must earn its first-ever Super Regional victory tonight to extend the best-of-three series.

The Bruins and Brummettt (10-6) defeated the Titans and ace Wes Romer earlier this season, but this time Romer (11-6) threw a complete game with seven strikeouts and no walks. It was the junior right-hander's third consecutive complete game, and he moved into second in program history in career strikeouts.

Brummett threw 100 pitches, but lasted just 4<MD+,%30,%55,%70>1/<MD-,%0,%55,%70>3 innings, allowing nine earned runs on eight hits and four walks with two strikeouts.

"They were pretty patient," Brummett said. "They battled me. They got to me early."

Brummett retired the first two batters of the game before five consecutive batters reached, with RBI singles by Chris Jones and McArthur putting Fullerton up 3-0. Four consecutive two-out singles extended the lead to 5-1 in the second, with Jones and John Curtis driving in runs.

McArthur finished 3 for 3 with two walks and a game-high three RBI.

Curtis had three hits and two RBIs, including a solo home run to lead off the sixth.

Every Fullerton starter reached base at least once.

Alden Carrithers and Brandon Crawford led UCLA with two hits each, including a double by Carrithers. Crawford drove in the Bruins' only runs, with a single in the first and another in the fifth, but he was picked off first in a momentum-shifting play in the first.

"It really was their night," UCLA coach John Savage said. "They outplayed us."