Jacobs Steps to Plate to Key Titans’ Late Rally

It wasn’t one of Cal State Fullerton’s better efforts, but the Titans came up with a ninth-inning rally for the winning run Sunday at home against Nevada.

Greg Jacobs lined a one-out double to right for the Titans’ 6-5 victory in a Big West Conference game that had been suspended after a half-inning a day earlier because of rain.

The victory gave Fullerton the series, two games to one, and left the 17th-ranked Titans (28-12, 14-4) two games behind No. 16 Long Beach State in the conference’s Southern Division.

“That was a clutch hit by Jacobs,” Titan Coach George Horton said. “And we had two other big hits to set the table.”

David Trentine and David Bacani singled before Jacobs’ game-winner. “We had the right guy at the plate in that situation,” Horton said. “Jake has a long history of being a clutch player, both in high school and [community] college. When he takes an at-bat in that situation, he’s going to be in character. He’s going to be the same Greg Jacobs whether he gets a hit or not. You have to like that.”

Jacobs was the starting pitcher and didn’t become the designated hitter until the fifth inning.

Horton, who said he expected Nevada to start the same pitcher Sunday as started Saturday, left-hander Ryan Church, loaded his lineup with right-handed hitters. Horton said he was hoping to take advantage of a wind that was blowing out to left field.

Nevada Coach Gary Powers, however, switched to right-hander Dru Martinson in the first inning.

Martinson kept the Titan scoreless through the first three innings before a Ryan Owens home run gave the Titans two runs in the fourth. Aaron Rowand, the leadoff batter, had reached on an infield error.

The Wolf Pack (17-17, 5-7) came back for three runs, two unearned, in the fifth off Jacobs. With two out, shortstop Chad Olszanski threw widely to first on Paul Bartolucci’s slow roller and one run scored. Two more runs came across on Matt Ortiz’s high chopper up the middle that went for a hit.

Fullerton tied it, 3-3, in the bottom of the fifth when Olszanski doubled and scored on Jacobs’ sacrifice fly.

Each team scored twice in the sixth. Justin Martin, who was four for four, had a two-run double for Nevada. Reserves got key hits in the Titans’ sixth. Kevin Duck and Steve Chatham had pinch-hit singles, with Chatham’s hit driving in two runs.

“That was a big hit by Chatham too,” Horton said. “Without it, we might have kept going the way we were on offense, which was pretty ho-hum before then.”

Horton was more pleased with the Titan pitching than he was the hitting, and he didn’t think the defense was as sharp as it should have been, especially in the fifth.

Horton said Jacobs pitched well despite giving up seven hits and five runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Kirk Saarloos kept Nevada scoreless in 3 1/3 innings of relief, giving up four hits. Freshman George Carralejo (3-0) got one out in the ninth and picked up the victory thanks to Jacobs’ hit in the ninth. Pitching coach Dave Serrano said he was pleased Jacobs was able to come back as well as he did after pitching a half-inning before the rain Saturday.

“I felt good about my pitching, but I was happy to be batting again,” Jacobs said. “Their pitcher [Luke Drakulich] threw me a changeup and a fastball in the ninth, and I saw them both fat. I decided I was going to hit the next one.”