Strategic Break Boosts the Titans : NCAA baseball: Ohio State coach’s infield alignment backfires. Cal State Fullerton wins, 3-2.

Had Ohio State’s shortstop and second baseman played halfway between the infield and outfield grass, a ninth-inning grounder by Cal State Fullerton’s Steve Sisco could have been turned into a double play, and the Buckeyes and Titans would have gone to extra innings.

But one strategic decision by Ohio State Coach Bob Todd--to bring his infield in with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth--allowed Sisco’s hard-hit chopper to barely elude the outstretched arm of Buckeye shortstop Doug Wollenburg and reach center field.

Phil Nevin, who had doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch, scored the winning run as Fullerton beat Ohio State, 3-2, Thursday in an NCAA South I Region first-round game at Louisiana State’s Alex Box Field.

The Titans, seeded third in the region, improved to 39-15 and will face fifth-seeded Tulane, a 4-2 winner over South Alabama in 12 innings, at 5:30 p.m. (PDT) today. The Buckeyes fell to 38-20 and have the unenviable task of facing defending national champion Louisiana State at 1 p.m. today.

Thursday’s victory was Fullerton’s ninth consecutive in NCAA regional play.

After Nevin fisted an inside pitch past third baseman Jamie Taylor for a double and advanced on Dennis Pachner’s wild pitch, Todd replaced Pachner with left-hander Mark Mesewicz.

Mesewicz intentionally walked Jason Moler and pinch-hitter Frank Herman, loading the bases with one out, a move that Titan Coach Augie Garrido found hard to second-guess.

“You’re in a real bad spot there--it’s the bottom of the ninth, middle of order, runner on third . . . pick your weapons,” Garrido said. “You don’t know what’s gonna kill you, but one of them will. I’m glad I wasn’t in that spot.”

Sisco’s RBI single put a happy ending on a nerve-racking and exasperating day for the Titans, who failed to capitalize on several scoring opportunities, gave the Buckeyes at least one run and almost gave them more.

Fullerton had runners on first and third with no out in the first but scored only once. Three times the Buckeyes intentionally walked Nevin to put runners on first and second, and three times Moler, the Titans’ No. 4 hitter, popped out.

Nevin dropped what could have been a double-play liner in the sixth inning, allowing Wollenburg to score and give Ohio State a 2-1 lead.

After Wollenburg popped out in the eighth and the Titans threw the ball back to pitcher James Popoff, Mike Mulligan caught Fullerton defenders off guard by stealing second. No one covered the bag, and there was no throw.

Reliever Chad Dembisky, who retired four of the last five batters to earn the victory, struck out Jeff Anderson with Mulligan on second to end the threat.

“We just got caught with our pants down on that play,” Sisco said.

Fortunately for the Titans, the Buckeyes seemed a little disheveled throughout the game. Right fielder Joe Robinson dropped a routine fly ball in the first and turned it into a 9-6 fielder’s choice.

Buckeye pitchers issued four wild pitches and six intentional walks. Ohio State starter Chris Granata hit No. 9 batter Dante Powell to lead off the seventh, and he later scored on Chris Powell’s RBI single--his fourth hit of the day--to tie the game, 2-2.

With runners on first and third and one run in in the sixth, Anderson was picked off first and Ken Tirpack struck out, cutting short what could have been a big inning.

“When you play a one-run game against a team like Fullerton, you normally think you played well,” Todd said. “But I’m not sure we should have got off the bus after that first inning.”

Fullerton’s first inning, which was highlighted by Nevin’s sacrifice fly, ended with Moler getting thrown out at the plate trying to score on Tony Banks’ single to left field.

The Buckeyes tied it in the third on Mulligan’s line-drive homer to left and took a 2-1 lead in the sixth when Wollenburg, who was on third, scored on Anderson’s hit, which glanced off Nevin’s glove and dribbled into left field.

The Titans rallied in the seventh when Dante Powell was hit by a pitch and took second on Jeremy Carr’s sacrifice. Chris Powell, who had singled twice and doubled in three previous at-bats, lined an RBI single to left-center to make it 2-2.

Chris Powell took second on a wild pitch, Nevin was walked intentionally and both advanced when Pachner’s pickoff attempt sailed into center field.

Moler popped to third and, after an intentional walk to Banks, Sisco flied to left to end the inning. But the next time Sisco came up with the bases loaded, he ended the game.