College Baseball : Three-Day Journey to Texas Sweeps Cal State Fullerton Back to Reality

Last June, the Cal State Fullerton baseball team wrapped up the national championship title with a 3-1 win over Texas in the finals of the College World Series.

This week, the Titans went to Texas for a three-game rematch of sorts, and they got swept back to reality.

On Wednesday, the Titans out-hit the Longhorns, 16-13, but they stranded 10 base runners, enabling Texas to complete a series sweep with a 10-7 victory at Disch-Faulk field in Austin.

The loss was the Titans’ fourth in a row and drops their record to 9-12-1.

Fullerton had a 5-3 lead going into the fifth innning, but the Longhorns (13-3) scored three runs in the bottom of that inning.

Texas left fielder Mike Simon walked to lead off the inning. Bobby Behnsch followed with a single to right field. With two outs, catcher Chuck Oertli (2 for 5) doubled to score Simon. Then Shortstop Coby Kerlin (2 for 4) tripled to score both Behnsch and Oertli and to give Texas a 6-5 lead. The Longhorns never trailed after that.

Texas scored three more runs in the sixth inning to solidify the win.

Third baseman David Denny and right fielder Bud Ray led off the inning with singles. With the bases loaded, Texas catcher David Wrzesinski (2 for 5) doubled home Denny and Ray. Wrzesinski had another double in the game and ended the day with three RBIs.

Fullerton had gone ahead with a five-hit, four-run fifth inning.

After Tony Newkirk (2 for 4) and Keith Watkins (3 for 4) each got infield singles for Fullerton, Newkirk scored when shortstop Shane Turner (3 for 5) reached base on an error. Third baseman John Fischel (2 for 5) knocked in Watkins with a single. After John Eccels reached on a fielder’s choice, Al Stankiewicz (2 for 4) singled in Turner. Catcher Rich Slominski got another infield single to bring home Eccels. Fullerton did its damage against winning pitcher Greg Swindell. Mike Belanger took the loss for Fullerton.

Fullerton plays host to San Jose State this weekend in Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. play.

In other college action:

Cal State Dominguez Hills 16, UC Irvine 15--In a game that would have made P.T. Barnum proud, the Anteaters blew a 13-2 lead to lose.

Dominguez Hills scored seven times in the sixth, when it sent 12 men to the plate against Anteater losing pitcher Bo Kent (0-3). The Toros had five hits and four walks in the inning. Dominguez’s Mike Strong was the winning pitcher.

After two runs in the seventh made the score 15-11 in favor of UCI, Dominguez scored five runs in the eighth to clinch the win.

Irvine had taken its big lead on the strength of three triples and a two-run home run by designated hitter Don Davis in the second inning.

UC Irvine is 10-9-1. Dominguez is 10-9.