Orange County College Baseball : Titans Lose Season Opener, 1-0

Danny Ward limited Cal State Fullerton to three hits and allowed only one runner to advance to second base Thursday as St. Mary’s spoiled the Titans’ season opener, 1-0, on Titan Field.

The Gaels’ run came in the fourth inning. Pat Brady led off with a single and took second when losing pitcher Mark Beck made a wild pickoff throw. One out later, Deron Johnson singled Brady home.

Ward struck out four and walked none. The only Fullerton batter to reach second was Mark Baca, who singled with two out in the third and stole second. The Titans’ other hits didn’t make it out of the infield.

Beck, making his collegiate debut, allowed three hits, struck out eight and walked six in eight-plus innings.

Fullerton, ranked No. 16 in the nation by Baseball America, plays host to No. 5 Stanford in a three-game weekend series starting tonight at 7. St. Mary’s improved to 2-3.

In other nonconference games:

Hawaii Pacific 9, Southern California College 7--Hawaii Pacific rallied from a 7-6 deficit with two out in the ninth inning to defeat the Vanguards at Costa Mesa.

Southern California reliever Josh Johnson (1-1) retired the first two Hawaii Pacific batters in the ninth. But Mishi Carvaho tripled and Roy Hodges singled to tie the score at 7-7. Jisho Okamoto then followed with a home run that gave the Sea Warriors the victory.

Hawaii Pacific’s Keoshi Makashima, who hit a bases-empty home run in the seventh, allowed 11 hits in pitching a complete game.

The Vanguards, who also lost an early 6-0 lead, are 1-1. Hawaii Pacific is 6-1.