Titans Beat Texas as Streak Grows

Cal State Fullerton finished last season with an 18-game winning streak on the way to its College World Series title, and this season the Titans are off to the best start in school history after their 13th consecutive victory Friday.

Did anyone say the Titans might not be able to pick up where they left off?

Junior Kirk Irvine pitched eight innings, protecting a one-run lead Scott Seal produced with his second-inning home run, and Fullerton won the opener of a three-game series against Texas, 1-0.

The top-ranked Titans are 13-1, with their only loss at Stanford in the season opener. Two other Fullerton teams had 12-1 starts, the most recent in 1994.

Mark Chavez also continued his solid relief pitching, retiring the Longhorns in order in the ninth for his fourth save of the season.

“This was a one-pitch game really,” Titan Coach Augie Garrido said. “Scott’s home run was all that separated it. It was a matter of two good pitchers throwing well, and we took advantage of one pitch.”

Seal, a transfer from UCLA who has shared the designated hitting position so far this season, homered off Texas’ top pitcher, Jake O’Dell, who was 11-3 last year but is 1-3 in 1996. The two starters each gave up seven hits and walked three in front of 3,931 at Disch-Falk Field on an overcast 43-degree day.

There was a brisk wind into right field, and it helped carry out Seal’s first homer of the season.

“I was looking for something in my zone, and when he threw me a changeup, I was ready for it,” said Seal, a graduate of Irvine High School. “I’ve been getting a lot of off-speed pitches lately. I don’t know whether they see a tendency, or they just don’t know me that well since I’m new.”

Irvine (4-1) got a big boost from catcher Brian Loyd, who threw out two baserunners. Loyd picked off Kip Harkrider, who led off the third inning with a single, then threw out Wylie Campbell when he tried to steal second after a leadoff walk in the fifth.

“Kirk pitched well, but Brian may have won that game for us with his defense,” said Titan associate head coach George Horton, who handles the pitchers. “Those two throws really picked us up. Brian caught well. We got every strike we should have.”

Loyd, whose throwing arm is nearly at full strength again after a preseason injury, is pleased with the progress he’s made. “Every day my arm gets better and better,” he said. “Now I have to get my hitting going.”

Loyd, along with Titan offensive leaders Mark Kotsay and Jack Jones, were held hitless by O’Dell. Jeremy Giambi and C.J. Ankrum were the only Titans with two hits. “We couldn’t generate any kind of sustained inning today,” Garrido said.

The Titans could only keep hoping that their pitching wouldn’t falter, and it didn’t. Horton said he was pleased with the confidence Irvine showed in key situations. “He made the big pitches when he needed to,” Horton said.

Texas (10-9) had runners on second and third with one out after a sacrifice bunt in the fourth, but Irvine struck out Blake Davis, and Trey Salinas grounded out.

“I think I was able to establish myself early, and that helped,” Irvine said. “They chased a lot of two-strike pitches later on. I was able to keep my changeup down, and get ahead on the counts in the early innings. And Loyd really helped me. He’s great defensively. He blocks bad pitches better than anybody around, and he really keeps my head in the game.”

Sophomore left-hander Brent Billingsley (4-0, with a 3.38 earned-run average) is scheduled to start today for the Titans. Sophomore Scott Hild (2-0, 2.84 ERA) will pitch Sunday.