COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Ferguson, Titans Sweep New Mexico State

Jeff Ferguson and his Cal State Fullerton teammates completed an impressive weekend with a 15-5 victory over New Mexico State in a Big West Conference baseball game Sunday in Las Cruces, N.M.

Ferguson had two hits, including his 10th home run, and drove in two runs for the Titans (39-10, 15-5), the third-ranked team in the nation.

Ferguson’s performance capped an amazing four-game stretch during which he was 14 for 18 and drove in 15 runs. He had two doubles, five home runs, scored two runs and stole three bases.

The Titans scored 53 runs and had 57 hits in the sweep of New Mexico State. Fullerton raised its team average from .288 to .299 in the series.

Adam Millan and Sal Mancuso had three hits and Mark Kotsay and Jason Gill each had two hits for Fullerton. The score was tied, 5-5, after six innings, but the Titans scored five runs in the seventh, four in the eighth and one in the ninth.

Dan Ricabal (8-0) gave up 11 hits and five runs in six innings but earned the victory. Ted Silva gave up a hit and no runs in the final three innings for his 11th save.

The sweep leaves Fullerton one game in front of second-place Nevada (13-5 in conference), which took a doubleheader from San Jose State on Sunday.

Nevada ends conference play with a three-game series at UC Santa Barbara starting Friday. If Nevada sweeps the series, then Fullerton would have to make up its game with Pacific, which was rained out earlier this season.

In the National Christian Colligate Athletic Assn. softball championship:

Pacific Christian 4, Central Wesleyan (S.C.) 2--Rhonda Staton’s sacrifice fly in the seventh broke a 2-2 tie for Pacific Christian in the championship game, which ended late Saturday. Greta Carlson (15-12) pitched a five-hitter for the victory. Carlson, who won three games and struck out 49 in 30 innings, was the tournament’s most valuable player.

In Big West Conference softball:

Nevada Las Vegas 1-7, Cal State Fullerton 0-1--Sara Mallett, from La Habra High School, had a home run, a double and drove in three runs for host Nevada Las Vegas (34-16, 22-6), the seventh-ranked team in the nation.

Shannon Dolan had a double in each game for Fullerton (28-27, 17-11).