COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Titans Topple by Losing to San Jose State

Derek Fahs gave up four runs in the first inning and Cal State Fullerton fell out of a tie for the Big West Conference baseball lead by losing, 8-2, Saturday at San Jose State.

The Spartans (31-21-1, 12-11) capitalized on a walk and four consecutive singles for the first-inning runs. Brandon Petersen of San Jose went two for four, driving in three runs and scoring once.

Nate Rodriquez had four hits and scored a run and Jeremy Carr had three hits for the Titans (37-15, 16-7), who conclude regular-season play with a 1 p.m. game today at San Jose State.

Cal State Long Beach moved from third place into the conference lead Saturday with a 12-7 victory at Fresno State. Leading the Titans and Bulldogs by a half game, the 49ers (30-17-1, 15-5) face Fresno State (37-17, 16-7) again today and will play host to UC Santa Barbara Monday and Tuesday if those games would have a bearing on the conference title.

In other Big West Conference baseball:

UC Santa Barbara 10, UC Irvine 2--Irvine’s Steve Ott doubled to extend his hitting streak to 17 games as the Anteaters fell to 23-26, 10-13.

In nonconference baseball:

Nevada 17-6, Chapman 8-4--Chris Briones had four hits and three RBIs, including a home run, in the first game for Chapman (29-23).

In the NAIA District 3 baseball playoffs:

SCC falls in final--Steve Allyn’s sixth-inning double drove in Sergio Flores with the game’s only run as host Azusa Pacific won the district championship with a 1-0 victory over Southern California College.

The Vanguards (25-23-1) advanced to face Azusa Pacific after a 14-12 victory over Christ College Irvine in the losers’ bracket final earlier Saturday. That game was suspended by darkness Friday, with SCC leading, 12-11, in the eighth.

Sean Mahard doubled to drive in pinch-runner Brad Keays and Ryan Seidel with the winning runs in the top of the ninth for SCC. Lonny Zimmerman and Robert Campillo homered for CCI (29-16).

In Big West Conference softball:

Cal State Fullerton 2-5, Nevada Las Vegas 1-0--Tiffany Boyd became a 30-game winner for the second consecutive season in the opener and freshman Cheryl Longeway pitched a two-hitter in the second game as the visiting fifth-ranked Titans (43-18, 25-11) swept a doubleheader to conclude conference play.

In the opener, Karin Knoop scored what proved to be the winning run in the fifth inning. Knoop, caught in a rundown after Melissa Hadfield missed a suicide squeeze, scored when first baseman Cyndi Parus dropped the throw to the plate.

Boyd (30-6) gave up six hits and struck out seven in winning for the 22nd time in her last 23 decisions.

The Titans finished second in the Big West, a game behind Fresno State, which had assured itself of the title by sweeping a doubleheader Friday at Pacific.

NCAA tournament bids will be announced at 5 p.m. today.

At the Big West Conference Track and Field Championships:

Irvine finishes second, third--Matt Farmer won his third consecutive conference decathlon title, Dustin James won the 400 meters and Brian Hild the 5,000 as the Anteaters finished with 151 points, second to host Fresno State’s 227 1/2.

Mike Tansley placed second in the 5,000 for Cal State Fullerton, which finished sixth with 39 points.

Fresno State also won the women’s championship with 171 points, ahead of second-place Nevada Las Vegas with 127. Irvine placed third with 124 1/3 points, and Fullerton sixth with 23.

Traci Goodrich won the 5,000 for Irvine, and Fullerton’s Kristin Peters and Heather Killeen finished first and second respectively in the 3,000.