COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Perfect Timing for Titans: Naulty Shuts Out Anteaters

Dan Naulty gave the Cal State Fullerton pitching staff a much-needed break and the coaching staff some peace of mind with a complete-game, five-hitter that gave the Titans a 12-0 victory over UC Irvine Friday night at Anteater Field.

It was the first shutout this season and only the third complete game for the Titans, whose pitching staff entered with a 4.84 earned-run average. Coming on the heels of Thursday night’s 13-inning loss to the Anteaters, in which the Titans used six pitchers, the shutout couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Probably the most significant thing from this game is that Naulty threw nine zeros and showed the pitching staff it can be done,” Fullerton Coach Augie Garrido said. “It sets a tone for the others and it helps us for (today’s 1 p.m.) game because we didn’t use up a lot of pitching.”

Garrido only hopes the Titans haven’t used up all their hitting. Fullerton, which racked up 16 hits in Thursday’s 8-7 loss to Irvine, had 10 more hits Friday night, seven of them coming in an eight-run fourth inning.

Leadoff batter Steve Sisco had three hits, scored two runs and knocked in two runs, and Phil Nevin, Frank Charles, Chris Powell and Matt Hattabaugh each had two RBIs for the Titans (16-13, 1-1 in the Big West Conference).

All of Fullerton’s runs in the fourth came after two were out. Jason Moler started the rally with a single to right field and, after Craig Fairbrother walked, Powell grounded an RBI single to right.

Trevor Rush, Hattabaugh and Sisco followed with RBI singles, bringing Irvine starter David Bladow’s evening to an early end. Frank Herman greeted reliever Steve May with a walk and Nevin, who entered in a two-for-15 slump, lined an RBI single to center. Charles capped the rally with a two-run single to right.

That was more than enough to support the pitching of Naulty (3-2), a 6-foot-6 right-hander from Ocean View High School whose side-arm delivery can make life miserable for batters.

The Anteaters managed five hits, three of them infield singles. The Titans backed Naulty with three double plays.

“His motion is a lot different than most pitchers, and it’s hard to pick up his release point,” Garrido said. “Sometimes his ball sinks, sometimes it sails away. Not many pitchers throw that way.”

Mike Goodcase had two hits, including a seventh-inning triple, for Irvine (16-16, 1-1).

In the UC Irvine/Marriott Men’s Tennis Classic:

UC Irvine 5, Southeastern Louisiana 4--Irvine’s Brett Hansen-Dent won in singles and teamed with Carsten Hoffman to win in doubles for third-seeded Irvine (13-4) in the quarterfinals.

In nonconference women’s tennis:

Cal State Fullerton 5, Grand Canyon 4--Tracy Spellman and Caroline Sporer defeated Juliet Canty and Michel Pyle, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3, in the decisive final match for Fullerton (10-10).