Ramirez Puts Nose to the Grindstone

Cal State Fullerton’s Erasmo Ramirez did it again.

Ramirez turned in his second consecutive superb pitching performance despite a broken nose.

Ramirez gave up only five hits and pitched his third complete game of the season to lead the Titans to a 4-2 victory over UC Santa Barbara in the first round of the Big West Conference tournament Thursday night at Titan Field.

Ramirez, who gave up only five hits in seven innings last weekend against Santa Barbara, picked up his 10th victory of the season in 15 decisions and his fifth in row.

It was the 17th victory in the last 18 games for top-seeded Fullerton (43-13).

Ramirez is scheduled to have surgery to reset his injured nose today, but Coach George Horton said he might be back on the mound Sunday if the Titans reach the finals. Ramirez was hit by a thrown ball in a freak batting practice mishap last weekend, but hepitched the next day.

“We’ll give him a couple of days off, and then bring him back if it works out that way,” Horton said. “It’s hard to pitch any better than Erasmo has the last two games.”

The victory moves Fullerton into a second-round game at 7 tonight against Sacramento State, which lost to Long Beach State Thursday.

Ramirez, who struck out eight and walked only one, said he also has been pleased with his pitching.

“I’ve been throwing my off-speed pitches for strikes more often lately,” Ramirez said. “I’m still having a little pain when I make sudden movements with my head, but I felt good. I’m a little paranoid, though, on couple of those balls that were hit back to me.”

The Gauchos got a run off Ramirez in the first, when Chad Peshke led off with a double and scored from third on Justin Gemoll’s one-out single. Gemoll had three of the five hits Ramirez yielded, including a bases-empty homer in the sixth.

The Titans came back for three runs in the first. Steve Chatham led off with a double into the right field corner, advanced on a sacrifice and scored on designated hitter Greg Jacobs’ single. Aaron Rowand also singled and Kevin Duck’s double drove in Jacobs. Pete Fukuhara reached on an infield hit, loading the bases, and Rowand scored when Ryan Moore was hit by a pitch.

Fullerton had only a walk and a single by Fukuhara over the next two innings, but catcher David Trentine hit his first home run of the season over the 385-foot mark in right center leading off the fourth. Trentine missed 30 games of the season because of a broken foot.

Ramirez held the Gauchos scoreless for the next four innings before giving up the homer to Gemoll. Ramirez hit the next batter, but got out of the inning when Chatham caught Justin Lehr’s fly ball in deep center and Ramirez got the final out on a strikeout.

The Titans lost a run in the seventh when Jacobs, who had doubled with one out, was thrown out at the plate after Rowand doubled to the wall in right center. Peshke made a strong relay throw from second to nail Jacobs.

Fullerton threatened in the eighth but failed to score. Moore and Owens singled and Trentine walked, loading the bases, but Chatham struck out and David Bacani bounced out.

“I thought we were going to lose the game because I thought we relaxed when we got ahead,” Horton said. “But we still had one guy working extremely hard, and that was Erasmo.”