Banks’ Pinch Single in Ninth Gives Titans a Victory Over UCI

Tony Banks’ pinch-hit single with the bases loaded in the ninth inning gave Cal State Fullerton a 6-5 victory over UC Irvine in a Big West Conference game Saturday at Titan Field.

Irvine (21-24, 9-11), which won the opening game of the three-game series, 8-6, Friday, scored two runs in the eighth to tie the score, 5-5, on Steve Ott’s two-run single.

The Anteaters threatened in the ninth, advancing runners to second and third with two outs, but Corey Parker struck out to end the inning.

Jason Moler and Steve Sisco hit consecutive home runs in the first inning to give the Titans a 4-0 lead. Moler’s home run--his seventh of the season--was a three-run shot.

Jon Rust (0-3) pitched eight innings in relief of starter Jeff Heath. Rust allowed two runs, seven hits, struck out two and walked six.

Chad Dembisky (1-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief for the Titans (34-14, 14-6) to pick up the victory.

In Big West Conference softball:

Pacific 1-0, CS Fullerton 0-3--The Titans gained a split behind Cheryl Longeway’s seventh shutout of the season. Longeway (11-12), a freshman from Kennedy High, allowed four hits and struck out five for the Titans (39-18, 21-11), who are ranked sixth in NCAA Division I. Denise DeWalt had three hits and drove in a run for Fullerton, which scored two in the second.

In the first game, Pacific (23-34, 11-21) scored a run in the first off Tiffany Boyd, ending Boyd’s 20-game winning streak. Boyd (28-6) struck out 12, giving her 273 for the season, which ties her for third on Fullerton’s single-season list. Lea Lopez (12-12) limited the Titans to three hits.

In the NAIA District 3 softball playoffs:

Azusa Pacific 5, Southern California College 4 (9, international tiebreaker)--Azusa Pacific won its second consecutive District 3 title when Nicole Sturgill drove in a run with a single in the ninth. The Cougars (31-18) advanced to the NAIA Tri-District II Playoffs May 8-9 at Adams State in Alamosa, Colo.

Under the international tiebreaker rule, a runner is put on second base at the start of each inning after the eighth.

The Vanguards (25-14), who needed to win two games Saturday to win the title, scored a run in the seventh to tie the score, 3-3. Stephanie Wills, who was three for four, drove in Renee Hernandez with a two-out single. The teams each scored a run in the eighth. SCC’s Shannon Moreno had two hits and an RBI.