College Baseball Roundup : Farber’s Hit Leads Titans Past Cal, 5-4

Pinch-hitter Jeff Farber’s two-run single in the eighth inning Friday gave Cal State Fullerton a 5-4 win over Cal in a nonconference game played at Berkeley.

The score was tied, 3-3, going into the eighth when Jef Garcia walked and John Fishel singled. Garcia and Fishel advanced on an infield out, and scored on Barber’s single to center field.

The Bears loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning against winning pitcher Mike Belanger (3-0), but could score only one run. Mike Schooler replaced Belanger and walked the first batter he faced to force in a run and make the score 5-4. But he then struck out Jerry Goff and got Tim Jester to pop out to end the game.

Fullerton (7-7) took advantage of two Cal errors to score an unearned run in the second for a 1-0 lead. The Bears (13-5) rallied for three runs off Belanger in the bottom of the second, but the Titans tied the score, thanks to bases-empty home runs by the sons of two former Dodgers. Blaine Larker, the son of Norm Larker, homered in the third and Jose Mota, the son of Manny Mota, homered in the fifth.

Schooler got a save for Fullerton while Mark Sampson (2-2) was the losing pitcher for Cal.

In other nonconference action:

UC Irvine 6, Cal Poly Pomona 4--The Anteaters took a 5-0 lead after three innings and then held off the Broncos at Pomona.

Craig Brink pitched six innings and got the win for Irvine while Lanny DeRose pitched a scoreless ninth inning to get a save.

Irvine (6-6-1) was led by Mike Fay, who went 2 for 3 with three RBIs, Adam Ging, who went 2 for 4 with one RBI and Tom Baine, who went 2 for 4 with two runs.

Pomona (3-5-1) was led by Jim Torchia, who hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning.