Titans Rally to Beat UC Santa Barbara

Cal State Fullerton was on the brink of seeing its 15-game winning streak at Titan Field end.

The Titans also were in danger of falling into fourth place in the Big West Conference race.

But Fullerton scrambled back from a two-run deficit with a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth to beat UC Santa Barbara, 4-3, Friday night in front of 1,943. The victory kept the Titans a game behind Long Beach State. Fullerton (41-8, 13-6) remains tied for second with Nevada Las Vegas.

The series continues this afternoon at 1 p.m.

Mark Kotsay’s line-drive double to right with one out scored Jack Jones from second to win it. Jones was hit in the nose with a thrown ball after he scored, which concerned Titan Coach Augie Garrido.

“I just don’t want the things that have been happening in the Six-Pac [Pacific 10] to creep into our conference,” Garrido said.

Jones was holding an ice pack on his nose in the dugout afterward. “We were already celebrating when it hit me,” he said.

Santa Barbara pitching coach Tim Montez said it wasn’t intentional. “It wasn’t thrown hard, it wasn’t done with malice,” Montez said. “The ball took a couple of bounces before it hit him.”

Fullerton scored the game-tying run on a play that proved to be controversial.

Pinch-hitter Scott Seal hit a pop fly into short center that Wynter Phoenix caught for the first out of the inning, and pinch runner Nakia Hill scored from third. Gaucho Coach Bob Brontsema protested that Hill left early.

But there was no question about Kotsay’s game-winning hit. “I needed to do something tonight,” said Kotsay, who was one for five.

Fullerton’s big inning started when Mike Lamb singled, Tony Martinez walked and Jones lined a double inside third base, scoring Lamb. Another walk to Steve Chatham loaded the bases for Seal’s sacrifice fly.

Kotsay’s hit was only sixth of the game for the Titans, who managed only four off starter Bryan Noyes in eight innings.

Luis Estrella (3-0) picked up the pitching victory, giving up only one hit in the final 1 1/3 innings. Titan starter Brent Billingsley gave up seven hits and all the runs in 7 1/3 innings.

The Titans scored the first run in the second without a hit. Jeremy Giambi was hit by a pitch, stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Lamb’s bunt.

Fullerton had runners on first and third in the third with one out when Jones walked and went to third when first baseman David Willis bobbled Chatham’s ground ball for an error. But Jerome Alviso’s bunt failed this time with Chatham thrown out on the plate.

Billingsley, who didn’t give up a hit until the fourth, gave up a leadoff 400-foot homer to Willis in the fifth.

The Gauchos added another run on Michael Young’s sacrifice fly after Billingsley loaded the bases with a walk after consecutive hits by Lou Tapia and Ryan Kritscher.

Santa Barbara made it 3-1 in the sixth when Clark Parker singled, advanced on C. J. Ankrum’s error on the pickoff throw and scored on Willis’ RBI single.

The Titans broke up Noyes’ no-hitter in the sixth on Brian Loyd’s single that followed a walk to Giambi.

Santa Barbara fell to 30-16, 12-7 in the conference.