Fullerton Does Everything Right Against Left-Hander

The eyes of Cal State Fullerton players lit up Friday night when the Titans learned Tulane would be starting a left-hander in the second round of the NCAA South I Regional.

The Titans jumped on Green Wave left-hander David Welch for four runs in the first inning and hit three home runs in the game en route to an 8-0 victory before 2,110 at Louisiana State’s Alex Box Field.

Senior right-hander Dan Naulty gave up only two hits in seven innings to earn the victory for Fullerton, which is the only undefeated team remaining in the double-elimination tournament.

Marcus Nelson preserved the shutout, yielding one hit over the last two innings. Tulane (39-23) had more hit batsmen (four) than hits (three).

The Titans (40-15) will face the winner of this morning’s game between Louisiana State and Tulane today at 5:30 p.m. Providence and Ohio State, which upset top-seeded LSU Friday, play this afternoon.

Jason Moler, hitless in four at-bats in Thursday’s victory over the Buckeyes, hit a two-run homer in the first inning, Frank Herman homered off the scoreboard in left in the sixth and D.C. Olsen added a two-run homer in the seventh for the Titans, who are 8-1 against left-handers this season.

“I was pumped when I found out we were going against a lefty,” said Herman, a regular in center field for much of the past two seasons but a platoon player in recent weeks. “There’s a confidence factor against lefties, and more people get fired up. We always hit left-handers well.”

Phil Nevin also had a big hit for Fullerton, poking an outside pitch to right field for a two-run single in the first to give the Titans a 2-0 lead. Moler also doubled, stole third and scored on Jim Betzsold’s groundout in the sixth.