COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Borgogno’s Triple Helps Titans Trip Bruins

Mate Borgogno’s triple in the ninth inning scored Phil Nevin to give Cal State Fullerton a 10-9 victory over UCLA Tuesday night in a nonconference baseball game at Titan Field.

Borgogno had four hits in a game for the first time in his two-year career at Fullerton (30-20).

Nevin had reached base on a one-out walk, and Borgogno, a left-handed hitter, drove the ball to the wall in left-center field. When the relay throw from UCLA center fielder Joel Wolfe was off-line, Fullerton third-base coach Larry Cochell elected to send Nevin, who beat the throw with a slide.

Cochell gambled in the sixth in a similar situation only to have a runner thrown out at the plate.

“I definitely had a flashback (to the sixth inning),” Cochell said. “But when I saw the ball mishandled I decided to gamble.”

UCLA (34-22) tied the score, 9-9, with two outs in the ninth inning. Wolfe tripled to right-center to start the inning. After a groundout and a popup, Wolfe appeared to be tagged out in a rundown after being caught off third, but it was ruled that Fullerton pitcher James Popoff balked in an effort to get the ball to home quickly.

The Titans had taken a 9-8 lead in the eighth when designated hitter Frank Charles led off with a solo home run, his fifth of the year.

UCLA scored three runs in sixth to take an 8-4 lead. But Fullerton rallied with three runs in the sixth inning and another in the seventh to tie it.

Borgogno also had an RBI single in the first inning and singled and scored in the sixth.

“I was seeing the ball really well tonight,” Borgogno said. “In the ninth, it was a curveball that hung and I just went with it.”

Popoff (9-4) got the victory and Michael Vdovkin (1-2) took the loss.

Fullerton starter Huck Flener allowed eight hits and eight runs in 5 2/3 inning but, because of the Titan rallies, he was able to escape with another no-decision. Flener, a junior left-hander, has eight no-decisions this season and 17 in his career. He had seven last season and two as a freshman.

In another nonconference baseball game:

U.S. International 14, UC Irvine 13--Mike Murphy doubled and scored on Jeff Martinez’s single to give U.S. International (14-37) the victory in the bottom of the ninth inning. Jon Berger hit a pinch-hit grand slam to give Irvine an 11-10 lead. But in the bottom of the eighth, Pat Cheek and Martinez had back-to-back doubles to tie the score and Beto Rodriguez singled to put runners on first and third. Darren Forster doubled home both runner to give USIU a 13-11 advantage.

Irvine (31-25) again came back to tie it. Freds Combs walked and Osmar DeChaves doubled, putting runners on second and third, and Don Roberson singled both home.