NCAA CENTRAL REGIONAL NOTEBOOK : Titans Feel Heat, Then Apply More

Coach Larry Cochell believes he has prepared Cal State Fullerton’s team for high-pressure situations such as the one the Titans faced Sunday, when they played Texas before 6,621 fans on the Longhorns’ field.

But there wasn’t much Cochell could do to prepare his players for Sunday’s weather conditions. It was 93 degrees when the game started, 100 by the sixth inning and 103 when the game ended.

The 50% humidity made it feel even hotter.

“It was about 115 degrees on the field,” Cochell said.

The Titans perspired, but they also persevered, defeating the Longhorns, 5-2, to advance to today’s noon championship game.

“The weather wasn’t that much of a factor,” Cochell said. “What helped us was that we played two night games before this, when it was only 87 to 90 degrees. We didn’t have to play our first two games during the day, so we weren’t as drained.”

They were after Sunday’s game, however. Catcher Matt Hattabaugh said he lost about 10 pounds during the day. Pitcher Sam Colarusso said the heat sapped all of his energy by the seventh inning.

The weather also took a toll on the players’ feet. Right fielder Paul Bunch said he took his shoes off twice in the dugout during the game to cool his feet.

“My feet are on fire,” second baseman Mate Borgogno said afterward. “I’m going to go back to the hotel and soak them in ice. I’m beat. This game took a lot out of me.”

A Bunch hunch: Two lineup changes wound up having a major impact on the outcome of Sunday’s game.

For Fullerton, it was Cochell’s decision to start Paul Bunch for David Ayala in right field. For Texas, it was Coach Cliff Gustafson’s decision to move right fielder Johnny Walker from seventh to third in the batting order.

Bunch, the Titans’ cleanup hitter during the first half of the season but a reserve during the second, had two hits, including a solo home run in the seventh inning that gave the Titans a 5-2 lead.

“Bunch is a better fastball hitter than Ayala, who is a better breaking-ball hitter,” Cochell said. “You know (Texas pitcher Kirk) Dressendorfer is going to come after you with hard stuff. I guess Paul made me look good.”

Walker didn’t make Gustafson look good. The right fielder hit into a double play with runners on first and second in the first inning, struck out with runners on first and third in the third and grounded out in his three other at-bats.

“I moved him because he had been hitting the ball well and he is fast, so we thought he would be less likely to hit into a double play,” Gustafson said. “Of course, he hit into a double play, so it didn’t exactly look like such a great move.”

Goodwill ambassador: Cochell had a little fun with the Longhorn fans before Sunday’s game, presenting T-shirts to a group behind the Texas dugout.

“It has been a long-time tradition among a group of lawyers who call themselves ‘The Wild Bunch’ to sit behind the dugout for games here,” Cochell said. “I’ve known the head of the group for several years, so I decided to have 10 T-shirts made up to give to them.”

The front of the T-shirts read “Titan Baseball” and the back read “Wild Bunch.” The Wild Bunch appreciated the gesture and responded with a thank-you chant: “Larry! Larry! Larry!”

They weren’t chanting after the game, though.

On deck: James Popoff, a sophomore right-hander who went the distance in Fullerton’s victory over Old Dominion Friday, will pitch today for the Titans. The game, scheduled to start at noon (PDT), will be broadcast on KMNY (1600-AM).