CS Fullerton Down to Last Chance

Although Cal State Fullerton will get another run at two-time defending national champion LSU today, the Titans face a tough route to Omaha, Neb.

The Titans kept their hopes alive with an 11-7 victory over Harvard in an elimination game Saturday night at Alex Box Stadium. The Titans had five home runs, two by Greg Jacobs. Aaron Rowand hit his team-leading 16th of the season, and Ryan Moore and David Trentine also homered.

Fullerton will have to defeat LSU twice to win the South II Regional and a berth in the College World Series.

LSU is 12-0 in regional championship-round games since 1986, including three times when the Tigers had to win twice.

“I told our players that we knew we were going to have to beat LSU twice in this tournament anyway, but now we have to do it on the same day,” Titan Coach George Horton said.

“If we can do that, it would be something really special, and something that neither the 1992 or 1995 teams did.”

Fullerton won regionals at LSU both those years, but didn’t have to play LSU in the finals.

LSU (45-17) is seeking its seventh College World Series appearance and fifth national championship in the 1990s.

A solid performance by freshman George Carralejo (4-0) against Harvard helped the Titans (47-16) conserve pitching for today’s finals (11 a.m.).

It was only the sixth start of the season for Carralejo, and it was the first time he had gone more than 3 2/3 innings.

Carralejo gave up four runs and eight hits in seven innings. Marco Hanlon pitched the final two innings, giving up three runs on one hit.

“With George’s performance, we didn’t have to get deep into our staff, and we’ll still have some fresh arms for tomorrow,” Horton said.

Horton said he plans to start Jacobs (4-3), a left-hander who has been one of three weekend starters, against the Tigers. Horton also said Erasmo Ramirez (11-5), who pitched Friday against Tulane, might be able to return if the Titans win the first game. LSU’s scheduled starter is right-hander Doug Thompson (10-4).

In Fullerton’s earlier game against LSU, a 13-11 loss, the Tigers scored four runs in the eighth to wipe out a 9-7 lead Fullerton built in top of the inning on a two-run homer by Rowand. A two-run double by Cedrick Harris produced the winning runs.

Bases-empty home runs by David Bacani, Fukuhara and Steve Chatham sparked Fullerton to a five-run first, and the Titans added two more runs in the second on Rowand’s two-run double.

Junior Brandon Bowe (6-3) replaced LSU starter Randy Keisler in the second inning and held the Titans to seven hits and four runs in the final 7 2/3 innings for his sixth victory in nine decisions.

“That performance by Bowe was just fabulous,” Horton said. “He got stronger as the game went along, and that’s the way you want a pitcher to respond.”

Fullerton starter Benny Flores gave up 11 hits and seven runs, including three consecutive bases-empty homers to Clint Earnhart, Blair Barbier and Wes Davis in the second.

The loss ended Fullerton’s streak of 10 victories without a loss in three regionals at LSU.

Harvard eliminated Tulane, 14-11, to set a school-record 36 victories for the season, also earlier in the day. Donny Jamieson, who pitched for El Dorado High, was the winning pitcher for the second consecutive game. Jamieson (5-1) held Tulane scoreless in three innings, giving up only three hits. Brian Ralph, who played at Dana Hills, had a homer and three RBIs.