Fullerton’s Kotsay Has 9 RBIs in 19-8 Victory Over Delaware

Cal State Fullerton’s Mark Kotsay has had more than his share of big games. And Thursday, for the first time in his career, Kotsay drove in nine runs, tying a 10-year-old NCAA tournament record.

For Kotsay, however, that wasn’t nearly as important as Fullerton (44-14) getting a 19-8 victory over Delaware in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Regional and advancing into today’s 5 p.m. (PDT) winners’ bracket game against Rice (40-21).

“Records don’t concern me,” Kotsay said. “It’s wins that concern me from here on out. Everyone contributed, and we got our first win in a regional atmosphere. That’s the important thing.”

Kotsay went five for five, including a three-run homer and two doubles, and scored three runs.

Kotsay’s hitting rivaled the heat. Had he not been thrown out at third trying for a triple in the sixth, he would have hit for the cycle. He had a chance for a sixth hit in the game that would have tied another NCAA tournament record, but he walked on five pitches in the eighth inning of a game in which the Titans had three homers and 18 hits in support of Scott Hild (9-3).

He gave up only two hits and one run in five innings.