COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Cal State Fullerton Able to Hold Off Pepperdine

Cal State Fullerton played near-perfect baseball through the first five innings Friday against Pepperdine.

Fortunately for Coach Augie Garrido, that was enough as the Titans, ranked second by Collegiate Baseball, hung on for a 7-3 victory in the opening game of the Anaheim Hilton and Towers Classic at Fullerton.

“(After the fifth inning) we didn’t execute well,” Garrido said. “This was the most dramatic change I’ve seen in this team.”

The Titans (11-2) jumped to a 7-0 lead in the fifth inning with a two-run single by third baseman Tony Martinez.

Starter Tim Dixon (3-0), who had allowed only two hits through five innings, got into trouble in the sixth.

With one out, he walked two batters and, after a strikeout, hit another.

A third walk forced in a run, followed by an RBI single by pinch-hitter Adam Pearlman. An error by left fielder C.J. Ankrum allowed Pepperdine’s third run to score.

John Mitchell, who struggled Tuesday against USC, pitched three scoreless innings to shut down the Waves (6-6), earning his first save.

“I felt pretty good,” Mitchell said. “I didn’t throw too many pitches. My curve was struggling, but I had a good fastball and splitter.”

The Titans scored three runs in the second inning, highlighted by D.C. Olsen’s 420-foot home run to center. Brian Loyd hit his second home run of the season in the third inning, and Jack Jones had an RBI single in the fourth.

In another nonconference game:

Albertson (Ida.) 8, Southern California College 1--Losing pitcher Ila Borders gave up four hits and two runs. Brett Hlista homered for SCC in the seventh.

In women’s swimming:

UC Irvine freshman breaks school record--Amerie Nordberg placed fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke, but set a school record at the Big West Conference swimming championships. She finished in 1 minute 4.97 seconds on the second day at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach.

In the men’s competition, UC Irvine is in third place with 286 points.