COLLEGE WORLD SERIES : Citadel Needs 12 Innings, but Sends Fullerton Home

Tony Skole singled home Anthony Jenkins in the 12th inning Monday to lift The Citadel to an 8-7 victory over Cal State Fullerton in an elimination game of the College World Series.

Jenkins singled to open the inning, moved up on a wild pitch by Chris Robinson (3-4) and came home on Skole’s single to right.

Skole’s single in the 10th inning drove in Chris Coker for a 7-6 Citadel lead. But Fullerton tied it in the bottom of the inning when Kevin Farlow singled, took third on a sacrifice and an infield single, and scored on Phil Nevin’s single to left.

Hank Kraft (4-1), who pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the 10th, ended the game by striking out Mate Borgogno with the tying run at third.

The Citadel (46-13), at No. 7 the lowest remaining seed in the tournament, faces another elimination game Tuesday night against the loser of Monday night’s Louisiana State-Oklahoma State game.

Fullerton (36-23) led, 4-1, early but had to come back from a 6-4 deficit in the eighth to force extra innings.

Paul Bunch walked to open the eighth, went to third on a single by Dave Ayala and scored when catcher Larry Hutto threw wildly to second on Ayala’s steal attempt. Ayala went to third on the play and scored the tying run on Domingo Mota’s single.

Doubles by Jenkins and Coker gave The Citadel a 1-0 lead in the first. Fullerton tied it in the second when Frank Charles scored from second on Farlow’s two-out single.

The Titans scored twice in the third after Nevin reached base on a throwing error by shortstop Scott Elvington, one of seven Citadel miscues that led to three unearned runs. Nevin scored from second on a single by Borgogno, who came around on singles by Matt Hattabaugh and Charles.

Fullerton made it 4-1 in the sixth, when Farlow singled and went to second when Elvington booted Ayala’s potential double-play grounder. Mota grounded to second baseman Dan McDonnell, who stepped on second for the force. McDonnell’s relay throw to first was in the dirt and Farlow scored.

Billy Baker’s home run leading off the seventh brought the Citadel to within 4-2, and the Bulldogs made it 4-3 when Jason Rychlick reached base on Farlow’s fielding error at shortstop and scored out later on McDonnell’s double.

Baker singled in a run and Rychlick had a two-run, two-out single to give the Citadel a 6-4 lead in the eighth.