COLLEGE BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Long Beach Legs Out Ninth-Inning Victory Over Fullerton

Cal State Fullerton’s string of good hitting, good pitching and good fortune, which helped carry the Titans to eight consecutive Big West Conference victories, came to an end Friday afternoon.

Cal State Long Beach scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning, on Lamarr Rogers’ RBI double and Michael Case’s sacrifice fly, to defeat Fullerton, 4-3.

The game ended with one of the 49ers’ fastest pair of legs challenging the Titans’ strongest arm, a showdown that culminated in an exciting play at the plate.

The legs won.

Just before Case lifted a fly ball to medium right field, Long Beach Coach Dave Snow had inserted Cobi Cradle as a pinch-runner for Todd Lloyd at third. Cradle tagged up, and Fullerton right fielder Paul Bunch made a strong throw to the plate.

But Bunch’s throw, which reached catcher Matt Hattabaugh in the air, was a few feet to the right of home, and a sliding Cradle reached the plate just before Hattabaugh’s lunging tag.

“Cradle is one of our fastest runners, I’m glad I brought him in,” Snow said. “I don’t think an average runner would have scored on that.”

Long Beach right-hander Andy Croghan, a former Servite High School pitcher, went the distance on an eight-hitter to improve to 11-3. Fullerton reliever Chris Robinson, who replaced starter Huck Flener in the ninth, took the loss and fell to 1-2.

Flener, a left-hander, allowed two runs in the first but shut out the 49ers (30-18-1, 7-6) for the next seven innings, pitching out of several jams.

Fullerton (25-18, 8-2 in conference play ) pushed one run across in the third inning on Mate Borgogno’s fielder’s choice and tied it, 2-2, in the seventh on Rich Gonzales’ two-out, RBI single.

The Titans got another clutch hit in the eighth when, after failing to sacrifice, Hattabaugh doubled off the wall in left-center field, scoring Steve Sisco with the go-ahead run.

But things began to sour for the Titans later in the eighth. After Hattabaugh went to third on a groundout and Domingo Mota walked, Kevin Farlow failed to get his bat on a suicide squeeze attempt and Hattabaugh was thrown out in a rundown.

Mota advanced to second on the play and then stole third, but was stranded when Farlow struck out to end the inning.

The teams will play today and Sunday at 1 p.m. at Long Beach.

In another Big West Conference game:

UC Santa Barbara 8, UC Irvine 2--Visiting Irvine had 10 hits but only two runs against the Gauchos (33-14, 8-5). David Bladow (5-5) took the loss. Chris Gallego had two hits for Irvine (28-21, 5-8).

In the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.:

Chapman 6, Cal State Los Angeles 3--Tom Allison had two hits, scored twice and had one RBI and Mike Giuseffi had two hits and two RBIs to lead Chapman (26-19, 15-10) at Hart Park. Jason Rolish had two hits and scored for Chapman. Cal State Los Angeles is 18-29, 8-14.