Nevin’s Slam Is Grand in 7-2 Victory for Titans

Phil Nevin’s rib cage hurt so much Thursday, he probably had some trouble holding up the huge college player of the year trophy that Baseball America Magazine gave him.

But Friday night, the Cal State Fullerton third baseman showed why he won the award, lining a grand slam to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning to lead the Titans to a 7-2 victory over Florida State in the first round of the College World Series in front of 13,189 in Rosenblatt Stadium.

Nevin, whose homer broke a 2-2 tie, also knocked in a run with a single in the fifth inning and another with a single in the eighth, giving him six runs batted in on the night, one shy of the College World Series record, held by Arizona’s Carl Thomas (vs. Oregon in 1954) and Arizona State’s Stan Holmes (vs. Oklahoma State in 1981).

Senior right-hander Dan Naulty (12-3) allowed two hits and two runs in six innings to earn the victory, and Paco Chavez gave up one hit in three innings to gain a save.

The Titans, who improved to 43-15, advanced to Sunday’s 4:30 p.m. winners-bracket game against top-ranked and top-seeded Miami, which beat California, 4-3, in 13 innings Friday.

Fullerton maintained the offensive pace it set at last weekend’s South I Region tournament with 15 hits Friday, including three each by Chris Powell, Steve Sisco and Nate Rodriquez. It was the most hits allowed by the Seminoles (48-29) in a game this season.

The biggest, by far, was Nevin’s homer. The Titans had loaded the bases off Florida State starter Roger Bailey with one out on Rodriquez’s single, Jeremy Carr’s bunt single and Chris Powell’s walk. After throwing a ball to Nevin, Seminole Coach Mike Martin brought in submarine-style-throwing reliever John Nedeau, who hadn’t allowed a homer all season.

Nevin, who missed Friday morning’s practice to visit a local hospital because of his rib injury, worked the count to three and one, then got a pitch he described as “up and away.”

Up and away Nevin sent it, over the right-field fence for his 21st home run of the season and a 6-2 lead.

There was some doubt whether Nevin would even play Friday. He awoke Wednesday morning with stiffness in the right side of his rib cage, didn’t practice Thursday or Friday morning and didn’t take infield practice before the game.

Titan trainer Chris Mumaw said Nevin likely strained a muscle between his ribs, but doctors couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause of the pain. That didn’t matter to Nevin.

“The doctors said I probably couldn’t do anything worse to it, and there were points where I experienced sharp, excruciating pain, but there was no way they were going to keep me off the field tonight,” Nevin said. “I told Skip (Coach Augie Garrido) that as long as I was hitting all right, I wanted to stay in.”

The injury affected Nevin more defensively--he had a throwing error and a fielding error--but Nevin also started two of Fullerton’s three double plays. Carr also made a nice running catch of Link Jarrett’s drive into the right-field corner before slamming into the fence to back a solid pitching effort.

Naulty, who struggled because of health problems late in the regular season, took a one-hit shutout into the sixth inning but lost it when he walked Nandy Serrano with one out and gave up a two-run home run to designated hitter Kenny Felder, whose blast went over the bleachers in left field and tied the game, 2-2.

Chavez, who pitched four hitless innings in a regional victory over Louisiana State, had little trouble closing out the Seminoles.

Naulty, who scrapped his submarine-style delivery this season for a more overhand approach, has now had two consecutive outstanding playoff performances, last week’s shutout of Tulane in the regionals and Friday night’s two-hit job on Florida State.

“I feel 100% physically, and that’s the main difference,” said Naulty, who was slowed by flu-like symptoms in early May. “All those problems seemed to disappear for me in the playoffs.”

Naulty again had the luxury of pitching with a lead Friday. Fullerton went ahead, 1-0, in the bottom of the first on Jason Moler’s sacrifice fly to center field. Carr led off with a walk, and Chris Powell reached on a bunt single.

Nevin flied to right, but both runners advanced when Bailey’s pickoff attempt glanced off shortstop Jarrett’s glove and into center. Moler scored Carr with his sacrifice fly, and Tony Banks struck out to end the inning.

The Seminoles threatened in the fifth, thanks to Nevin’s two-base throwing error on Chris Brock’s routine ball to third. Brock was sacrificed to third and remained there as Tony Liebsack flied to short center.

Just as Naulty went into his windup against Colby Weaver, Brock broke for home, and Naulty stepped off the rubber. Martin, the Seminole coach, fumed, claiming Naulty had balked, but none was called.

With a 2-1 pitch on Weaver, Brock again broke for home and appeared to have the plate stolen, but Weaver bunted foul. Weaver then struck out on a high fastball to end the inning.

The Titans added an insurance run in the eighth when Chris Powell doubled to left and scored on Nevin’s single to left.

“We’re real confident--we’re in the position we want to be in now,” Naulty said. “Hopefully we can keep on rolling.”