Titans Get Slam, Beat Seminoles : Baseball: Kotsay bats in seven runs as Cal State Fullerton wins, 10-3, at College World Series.

Mark Kotsay had gotten the word from Cal State Fullerton batboy Marco Martelli. He told Kotsay he was going to hit a home run Tuesday against Florida State in the College World Series.

Kotsay made the son of volunteer assistant coach Joe Martelli a seer when he hit a grand slam while tying the CWS record with seven runs batted in as the Titans won, 10-3, in an elimination game.

Kotsay said the batboy told him, “ ‘I told your dad that you were going to hit a home run today.’ It was in the back of my head all day when I was at the plate.”

The left fielder had a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, a two-run double in the seventh and the grand slam in the eighth.

Two other players had seven RBIs in a CWS game--Carl Thomas of Arizona in 1954 and Stan Holmes of Arizona State in 1981.

Fullerton, seeded No. 7, moved into today’s semifinal game against No. 2 Georgia Tech (49-16). The Titans (46-15) were 2-0 losers to Georgia Tech in Friday’s first round, and would force a third game between the teams Friday if they beat the Yellow Jackets. A Fullerton loss would let Georgia Tech move into Saturday’s championship game.

The sixth-seeded Seminoles (53-22) opened with a three-run first inning on Colby Weaver’s RBI single, a run-scoring double by Link Jarrett and a ground-out by Steve Nedeau.

Nedeau’s grounder knocked out starter Chad Rolish, and Dan Ricabal (12-1) shut down the Seminoles the rest of the way. He allowed three hits and retired 15 in a row before giving up a leadoff walk in the ninth.

“Dan Ricabal certainly was the story of that ballgame--what a performance,” Florida State Coach Mike Martin said. “That kid can pitch.”

Titan pitching coach George Horton said the decision was made to start Rolish because “Ricabal is a weapon we want to use over and over again rather than in a one-game format such as this.”

Ricabal said: “I was a little disappointed (in not starting). But I knew where (Horton) was coming from.”

D.C. Olsen singled home the Titans’ first run in the second, then Kotsay’s fly ball scored Jack Jones, who had led off the fifth with a triple.

“He is capable of the exceptional,” Fullerton State Coach Augie Garrido said of Kotsay.

“We knew he was going to be a tough out,” Martin said. “We tried to have a left-hander in there against him whenever he came up, except when he hit that double. He just took that pitch the other way.”

Fullerton chased Seminole starter Charlie Cruz (3-4) after two one-out walks in the seventh. Jeff Ferguson singled off reliever Phil Olson to load the bases for Kotsay, who doubled to left to drive in two. Dante Powell walked, and Adam Millan followed with an RBI single.

Two walks, an error and a fielder’s choice filled the bases for Kotsay in the eighth, and he hit his fourth homer of the season.

Bret Hemphill capped the scoring with his sixth homer of the year in the ninth.