Alkire Keeps Fullerton Alive

Cal State Fullerton took a gamble in the NCAA West Regional baseball tournament Friday, and it worked.

The Titans saved their No. 2 pitcher, Brian Tokarse, and started John Alkire against sixth-seeded Northeastern in an elimination game.

Alkire, who is no better than the No. 5 pitcher now in the rotation, gave Fullerton five satisfactory innings, and the Titans eliminated the error-prone Huskies with an 8-4 victory at Stanford’s Sunken Diamond.

Northeastern made five errors, including three in one inning, and Fullerton had 15 hits to get back on track on offense after being shut out by Santa Clara a day earlier. Friday’s victory was the 16th in the last 20 games for Fullerton (39-23-1).

“If we don’t perform now, it won’t be because we’re thin on pitching,” Coach George Horton said.

The Titans, who had to wait two hours for the game to start because of morning rain, advance to a 3 p.m. game today against Fresno State (38-27). Santa Clara plays Stanford at 11 a.m. Northeastern ended its season, 33-19.

Top-seeded Stanford, unbeaten in the tournament, eliminated Texas A & M, 3-1, Friday, which means the Titans would have to win two games today and twice on Sunday to take the championship and the College World Series berth.

Alkire (3-5), who had a 6.49 earned-run average, gave up all four runs on six hits and two walks. The Titans went to Brandon Duckworth, normally their No. 3 starter, and closer Mike Greenlee, who combined for four scoreless innings. Duckworth pitched the sixth and seventh, giving up one hit, and Greenlee retired the Huskies in the order in the eighth and ninth.

“It actually turned out to be more of a tuneup for Duckworth and Greenlee,” pitching coach Dave Serrano said. “It was probably good that we used them because this way they got their feet wet in a regional atmosphere.”

Tokarse (10-2, 3.63 ERA) is set to pitch today’s third game, and Scott Hild (4-4), who has been particularly effective in the last three weeks, would probably start a fourth game if the Titans get that far.

“We thought Alkire pitched pretty well,” Horton said. “We knew Northeastern could swing the bat because they did it against Stanford in their first game.”

Outfielder Steve Chatham, who has been struggling with a nagging injury to his right hand for three weeks, led the Titans with with four hits in five at-bats. “My hand has been feeling a lot better this week, and that’s probably helped,” Chatham said. “But I was seeing the ball well today too.”

Ryan Owens had three hits in four at-bats, scoring two runs, and Mike Lamb hit his 10th home run of the season.

The Titans scored three runs in the first against starter Chris Zack (6-5) on RBI singles by Chatham and Jerome Alviso and Lamb’s sacrifice fly. Fullerton also added another run in the second on C.J. Ankrum’s RBI double, and got one more in the third on Lamb’s bases-empty homer.

Northeastern got a home run from Carlos Pena in the second, and scored two more in the third on Mike O’Donnell’s two-run triple. The Huskies also scored in the fifth when Justin Johnson doubled and Bob McLaughlin singled, but the Titans pulled the hidden ball trick to end the inning.

Alviso caught McLaughlin off third base, removing the potential tying run. “Owens was the one who set it up,” Alviso said. “There was some sort of distraction near the Northeastern dugout, and when that happened Ryan flipped me the ball. It turned out to be an important out. I didn’t realize at the time that it represented the tying run at third.”

After that, Fullerton came back for three runs in the top of the sixth to put the game away. Alviso started the big inning on a bunt base hit. Pitcher Tim Bonehill fielded the ball, but his throw to first was wild. Alviso went to third and scored on Chris Beck’s double.

Beck was out trying to steal third with one out, but consecutive hits by Owens and Nakia Hill produced another run. Owens scored when the ball got away from outfielder Tim Daley. Reed Johnson’s double brought in Hill.

In another West game:

Santa Clara 8, Fresno State 1--Tobin Lanzetta pitched a seven-hitter and Bernie Affrunti’s three-run triple keyed a six-run sixth for the Broncos.

Santa Clara (41-18), winner of 25 of its past 27 games, plays top-seeded Stanford today in a matchup of the regional’s only unbeaten teams.