Loyd Supplies Power in Victory Over Rice

Brian Loyd picked up where Mark Kotsay left off in the NCAA Midwest Regional Friday night.

Loyd hit two three-run homers to lead Cal State Fullerton to a 7-3 victory over Rice in front of 3,015 at Eck Stadium, keeping the suddenly resurgent Titans in contention for their third consecutive College World Series appearance.

But the big test of whether Fullerton’s comeback is for real comes at 9 a.m. today, when the Titans (45-14) meet top-seeded Wichita State (52-9). The winner of that game moves into Sunday’s championship round unbeaten, while the loser faces a battle back in an elimination game at 5 p.m. today.

Fullerton was ranked as the nation’s top team through much of the season before falling into a slump and losing 10 of 14 games.

Rice (40-22) held Kotsay to one hit in two at-bats after he drove in nine runs Thursday against Delaware, but he was hit by a pitch and walked two times and scored twice. It took a diving catch by right fielder Jeff Venghaus in the eighth to stop Kotsay’s streak of nine consecutive times on base.

Loyd, the Titan catcher, became the catalyst this time. His homer in the seventh inning came when Fullerton was leading by only a run. It was given up by Rice’s top reliever, Matt Anderson, who was Loyd’s battery mate frequently last summer on Team USA.

“I thought we had a chance to make a run at it at that point,” Rice Coach Wayne Graham said. “That’s why I brought in Anderson. He’s been our guy in the bullpen, but he got a pitch in the wrong place to Loyd.”

In the seventh, Kotsay walked with one out, and Jeremy Giambi’s perfect bunt went for a hit. Fullerton gambled on a double steal. Kotsay slid in safely and Giambi took second, removing Fullerton from double-play danger.

“That took the pressure off Brian,” Coach Augie Garrido said. “At that point he can swing for a sacrifice fly.”

Loyd said that was his intention. “I just wanted something up in the air in the outfield, and it carried out,” he said. The homer, his eighth, cleared the fence at the 380-foot mark in center.

The Titans also got a solid six innings from Kirk Irvine (12-3), who gave up two runs on six hits. Luis Estrella pitched the final three innings, giving up one run on two hits.

“I knew I needed to step up,” Irvine said. “I’ve been so erratic lately. It’s been tough. I think the main thing was staying ahead of their hitters, and getting them to chase some pitches. They’re a good hitting team. We knew that.”

Rice had one more hit than Fullerton, but the Titans came up with double plays to end the fifth and sixth innings. “They kept us from losing the momentum,” Garrido said. “And offensively, we did a good job of setting the table again. Yesterday it was for Mark. This time it was for Brian.”

Loyd’s homer in the first inning was set up when Jerome Alviso singled, took second on C.J. Ankrum’s sacrifice and Rice starter Shawn Onley (7-3) hit Kotsay, putting runners at first and second. Loyd drilled a 1-0 slider over the fence in left center for a 3-0 lead.

Kotsay said he didn’t think Onley hit him intentionally.

“He was trying to work me [inside] all night, and I think that pitch just got away from him,” Kotsay said. Kotsay was hit on the upper right calf, and he favored it the rest of the game. He moved from center field to left in the seventh inning for that reason. “I think I’ll be all right tomorrow after some treatment,” he said. The Titans scored again in the third, but Rice came back with single runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh.

Consecutive doubles by Joseph Cathey and Venghaus gave Rice its first run, but the first of the two double plays kept Irvine out of more trouble. Venghaus doubled again to lead off the sixth and scored on Will Ford’s hit, but another double play ended that threat.

Estrella, credited with his fifth save, gave up a one-out double in the seventh to Tim McLaughlin, who scored on Estrella’s wild pitch. Estrella retired the side in order in each of the final two innings.

The Rice coach said he was reluctant to pick a favorite between Wichita State and Fullerton in today’s game.

“I know Wichita has a real good pitcher going, but so does Fullerton,” Graham said. Brandon Baird (6-5) is scheduled to pitch for Wichita against Brent Billingsley (11-1).