Titans’ Jacobs Is Double Trouble

There were a few anxious moments for Cal State Fullerton Sunday, right down to the ninth inning, when Sacramento State loaded the bases but failed to score.

Fullerton, however, emerged with a 9-4 Big West Conference baseball victory at Titan Field that Coach George Horton said he felt good about. The victory clinched the series, two games to one, and left the Titans 22-11, 9-3 in the conference.

“That might have been our most complete game of the season,” Horton said. “It was an above-average game on the mound and on defense, and a good game for us on offense. We had a lot of consistent at-bats.”

Greg Jacobs, pressed into duty as a starting pitcher in addition to being the designated hitter, came up with a solid effort for six innings. Jacobs (2-2) gave up nine hits, but only two runs.

Horton gave pitching coach Dave Serrano credit for the decision to move Jacobs into the weekend rotation. Jon Smith, who has been a starter most of the season, remains sidelined because of a sore arm.

“It was a good educated guess on Dave’s part,” Horton said. “If we had to do it over again now, we probably would have spent more time with Jacobs as a pitcher earlier in the season, but he’s been such a key for us on offense we thought that was more important at the time.”

Jacobs is Fullerton’s leading hitter, batting .362, and is fourth on the team in runs batted in.

The Titans didn’t make an error and turned three important double plays to keep Sacramento State at bay in the second, fifth and seventh innings. Ryan Owens had a good game at shortstop, and Kevin Duck dug out several low throws at first base.

Owens, Duck and Aaron Rowand each had two hits, and Duck drove in three runs.

The Titans got off to a slow start against Jeremy Pierce (1-4), managing only a walk in the first three innings, before Jacobs started the fourth with a double and scored on Duck’s one-out single.

Sacramento State (14-19, 7-5) scored two runs in the fifth, helped by Mike Dominesse’s double to left on a fly ball that outfielder Pete Fukuhara misjudged. A double play with the bases loaded took Jacobs out of the inning after he gave up another run.

The Titans came back with four runs in the fifth. Owens doubled and scored from third on a mental error by Dominesse, the Hornet catcher. Dominesse threw to second when David Bacani broke for the base, although the pitcher had walked Jacobs. Duck followed with a two-run double, and Rowand an RBI single. A leadoff homer by Ryan Moore in the sixth gave Fullerton a four-run lead.

Adam Johnson replaced Jacobs after Jacobs gave up a walk and a hit at the start of the seventh, and another double play and good defensive play by Bacani at second ended the threat.

Johnson gave up a two-run homer to Dan Elorduy in the eighth, but Kirk Saarloos got the Titans out of the inning without more damage after walking two with none out. The Titans came back with three runs in the eighth with Owens’ triple being the big hit.

“Our pitching got a little sloppy at the end, but we made the pitches when we had to,” Horton said.