COLLEGE WORLD SERIES : Kotsay Leads Fullerton With Bat and Arm

Mark Kotsay has done just about everything for Cal State Fullerton this season.

The sophomore outfielder from Santa Fe Springs won the triple crown in the Big West Conference and also established himself as one of the nation’s premier closers.

On Saturday against Stanford in the Titans’ College World Series opener, Kotsay displayed many of his talents in a 6-5 victory before 15,643 at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Kotsay singled, doubled, scored a run, sacrificed the go-ahead run into scoring position and pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for his 11th save. Top-seeded Fullerton (54-9) on Monday will play Tennessee (53-14), a 3-1 winner Saturday over Clemson (54-13).

“Whatever it takes,” said Kotsay, who ended the game by getting Dusty Allen to pop out to third on a 3-0 pitch with runners at first and second. “Any little thing we can do for each other to help us win is what the players on this team do.”

Kotsay was only one of several key players for the Titans in a game that featured four home runs and a series-record-tying nine doubles, but was ultimately won with Fullerton’s usual combination of stubborn pitching and near-flawless defense.

Fullerton right-hander Ted Silva (17-1) spotted Stanford a 3-0 lead in the first inning by giving up consecutive home runs to A.J. Hinch and Steve Carver. But Silva settled down and allowed only one runner to reach third base over the next six innings.

“After that second home run, I said to myself, ‘Wow. Let’s go. It’s time to wake up and keep the ball down,’ ” said Silva, who gave up 12 hits, struck out four and walked two. “I had to show some confidence for my teammates.”

Right-fielder Robert Matos gave Fullerton the lift it apparently needed with one out in the second inning when he caught a line drive hit by Joe Kilburg and nailed Troy Kent at the plate to complete a double play.

Fullerton, which had 11 hits and did not commit an error, used the momentum to score two runs in the third on home runs by Tony Miranda and Brian Loyd. The Titans tied the score in the fifth when Kotsay doubled against starter Mike Robbins (6-4) with two out and scored on Loyd’s double off the center-field wall.

“The mistakes I made, they capitalized on,” Robbins said. “I threw Kotsay a slider that was low and away and he hit it into the gap. That gets kind of frustrating.”

Jeremy Giambi gave Fullerton the lead when he walked to start the bottom of the seventh, moved to second on Kotsay’s sacrifice, stole third and scored on Matos’ ground ball to first.

Joe Fraser chased Robbins with a run-scoring double to left, and D.C. Olsen greeted Mario Iglesias with a run-scoring single that gave Fullerton a 6-3 lead.

Stanford pulled to within 6-5 in the eighth on Allen’s run-scoring double against Silva and Brian Dallimore’s double against Kotsay.

Hinch and Carver had consecutive two-out singles in the ninth, setting the stage for Allen’s ill-fated 3-0 swing against Kotsay.

“I just wanted to throw a strike and get back into the count,” Kotsay said. “I threw it right down the middle and he overreacted, like most hitters would with a 3-0 count.”

Stanford Coach Mark Marquess said Allen had the green light.

“I’ll take Dusty Allen’s swing with a 3-0 count any time,” Marquess said.

Tennessee 3, Clemson 1--Todd Helton pitched a four-hitter and struck out nine as the Volunteers won their first series game since 1951.

Helton (8-2), normally a closer, made his fifth start and pitched his fourth complete game.

Scott Schroeffel had a double and a solo homer for Tennessee.

*

World Series Notes

Junior left-hander Randy Flores (11-3) will start today for sixth-seeded USC (45-20) in an elimination game against seventh-seeded Oklahoma (42-15). Ryan Minor (1-0) will start for the Sooners. . . . No team that lost its first game has come back to win the national championship since Arizona in 1980, but USC teams did it in 1958, 1963 and 1970.