Kotsay, Titans in Grand Shape : Baseball: An 11-1 victory over Tennessee opens way to title game.

Somebody asked Cal State Fullerton Coach Augie Garrido if there is anything Mark Kotsay hasn’t done for his team lately.

“Well, he didn’t drive the bus over here,” Garrido said. “And he didn’t pick up the dugout after the game was over.”

All Kotsay did Monday was hit a grand slam that broke Tennessee’s back in a six-run, second inning and go four for four in the Titans’ 11-1 victory in the College World Series Monday in Rosenblatt Stadium.

But Kotsay, who scored twice, was only one of the Titans’ heroes in a game that vaulted Fullerton into the tournament’s semifinal round as the lower bracket’s only unbeaten team. Miami is unbeaten in the upper bracket.

First baseman D.C. Olsen was three for four, including a home run, after spending almost five hours in the hospital after midnight with a kidney stone. “But I felt fine after it passed,” he said.

And pitcher Jon Ward (10-3) capitalized on Fullerton’s three-homer, 16-hit attack and gave up only four hits in seven innings. Mark Chavez came on to pitch the final two innings, giving up only one hit.

The No. 1-ranked Titans’ 16th consecutive victory, which boosted their record to 55-9, put them in a commanding position in the lower bracket.

Fullerton’s next game will be at 12:35 p.m. (PDT) Thursday. The opponent won’t be determined until after today’s elimination game, but the Titans are assured of a one-game advantage over the surviving team, which would have to beat them Thursday and Friday to keep Fullerton out of Saturday’s championship game.

After Monday’s game, the Volunteers (53-15) seemed to be looking for the runaway locomotive that hit them.

“They played like the No. 1 team in the country,” Tennessee Coach Rod Delmonico said. “I was very impressed with their hitters. That grand slam was the key. It put us in a defensive position and gave them the momentum. It was the difference in the game.”

Garrido said he thought Tennessee’s hitters felt the pressure of being behind, 7-1. “They maybe tried too hard after that,” he said. “They wanted to get back in the game, and that seemed to stretch them a little bit.”

Ward said he tried to take advantage of the situation. “They seemed to want to get it done with one swing after that,” he said. “At that point, I just tried to take it pitch by pitch and take advantage of the lead I had.”

Garrido praised Ward for “staying focused” after the Titans took control. “Jon’s pitching was a very important factor,” Garrido said.

The Titans’ thunderbolt second inning began with singles by Joe Fraser and Olsen. They advanced on Jack Jones’ sacrifice, and Fraser came home on Tony Martinez’s base hit over second. Tony Miranda then dropped a perfect squeeze bunt, driving in Olsen.

An error by Tennessee third baseman Scott Vieira on C.J. Ankrum’s hard-hit ground ball loaded the bases for Kotsay, whose shot on R.A. Dickey’s first pitch cleared the fence in the power alley in left-center.

“I looked at Coach Garrido before I went up there, and he told me to just stay relaxed,” Kotsay said.

Kotsay overshadowed Tennessee star Todd Helton, who has been Kotsay’s chief competitor for the several college player of the year awards. He was hitless in four at-bats, reaching base only on an error and grounding out three times, once into a double play.

Fullerton’s big day came at the expense of Tennessee’s top starter, Dickey (14-4), who left after 6 2/3 innings and gave up 15 hits and 10 earned runs.

“It was just one of those days,” Dickey said. “When I threw the outside changeup to Kotsay, he looked like he knew it was coming, but it was a matter of good hitter getting a big hit.”

Each team scored once in the first. Miranda and Ankrum singled, and Kotsay’s sacrifice advanced the runners before Jeremy Giambi’s sacrifice fly scored Miranda.

The Vols tied it, 1-1, after Ward walked leadoff batter Matt Whitley. Whitley stole second, went to third on catcher Brian Loyd’s throwing error and scored on Helton’s slow roller to second.

After the six-run second, the Titans added a run in the fourth when Ankrum, Kotsay and Giambi delivered consecutive singles. The Vols got out of the inning without further damage when Loyd bounced into a double play.

Fullerton scored three more in the seventh to build the cushion to 11-1 on consecutive home runs by Fraser (his seventh) and Olsen (14). Fraser’s homer also scored Kotsay, who had singled to open the inning.

Stanford 8, Clemson 3--Freshman right-hander Kyle Peterson (14-1) pitched a complete game as the eighth-seeded Cardinal (40-24) eliminated the fifth-seeded Tigers (54-14).

Peterson gave up eight hits, struck out seven and did not walk a batter.

Dusty Allen and Steve Carver hit home runs for Stanford, which took advantage of four Clemson errors.

College World Series Notes

Junior right-hander Brian Cooper (7-2) will start today for USC (46-20) in an elimination game against Florida State (53-15). FSU Coach Mike Martin changed plans and will start left-hander Scooby Morgan (4-2) instead of All-American right-hander Jonathan Johnson (12-3), who beat Oklahoma in the Seminoles’ opener Friday.