Fullerton’s Sorensen, Saarloos Team Up to Beat Texas A&M;

Cal State Fullerton kept its College World Series hopes alive Monday night, thanks to strong pitching from starter Matt Sorensen and closer Kirk Saarloos.

Texas A&M; scored a run in each of the first two innings, but Sorensen and Saarloos shut out the Aggies the rest of the way, making Spencer Oborn’s two-run single in the fifth inning stand up for a 4-2 victory in front of 22,824 in Rosenblatt Stadium.

It gave the Titans (50-13)--their sixth 50-win season and sends them into another elimination game today (4:30 p.m. PDT, ESPN 2) against Florida State (54-13). Left-hander Jon Smith (7-0) is scheduled to pitch for Fullerton against the Seminoles’ Zach Diaz (3-1).

Sorensen, troubled by control problems in his last start against Ohio State in the super-regional, didn’t give up a walk, and held Texas A&M; to 10 hits over 8 1/3 innings.

After Sorensen gave up a single to Sean Heaney and a double to Greg Porter in the ninth with one out, Fullerton went to Saarloos, who got Dell Lindsey on a pop fly, and struck out Chad Hudson to end the game.

“Kirk has done that for us all year,” Sorensen said. “He’s picked me up so many times. I don’t think there’s anyone better in the country with men on base.”

Sorensen (12-0) gave up six hits in the first three innings, but then was in control until running into trouble in the ninth. It was the third game this season he has not given up a walk.

“Matt did a phenomenal job,” Saarloos said. “Coach told me that if Matt got into trouble in the ninth, he would go to me. I threw a changeup to Hudson on that last 3-2 pitch. I thought it might have been a ball, but luckily he swung through it.”

Texas A&M; picked up a run off Sorensen in the first with the help of an error. Second baseman David Bacani knocked down Daylan Holt’s ground ball on the grass between first and second, but didn’t get back to the ball to keep Shawn Schumacher from going from first to third. Schumacher scored on John Scheschuk’s sacrifice fly.

The Titans tied it in the second when Ryan Owens and Shawn Norris singled, and Owens scored on Craig Patterson’s sacrifice fly. The Aggies regained the lead with a run in the second on consecutive hits by Heaney, Porter and Lindsey.

But Sorensen got out of the inning without further damage when Patterson, the Titan catcher, picked off Porter at third, Reed Johnson made a good running catch in center and Scarborough struck out.

“If Porter didn’t slide, I think the ball would have hit him on the pickoff,” Aggie Coach Mark Johnson said. “It took a perfect throw to get him.”

Bacani’s leadoff homer to left in the third gave the Titans a 2-2 tie, and Fullerton went ahead to stay in the fifth. Bacani singled to lead off the inning. Johnson dropped a good bunt, and the runners moved to second and third when the Aggies left second base uncovered. That set up Oborn’s game-winning hit.

Oborn had gone eight consecutive games without an RBI.

Stanford 10, Florida State 6--Stanford (50-13) joined Miami as the only unbeaten teams in the College World Series, winning its 11th consecutive game and 23rd in its last 24.

Justin Wayne (10-1) gave up nine hits and five runs in 6 2/3 innings, but picked up the victory. The loss dropped Florida State (54-13) into the loser’s bracket.

The Cardinal scored four runs in the second, three of them unearned. The big hit was a three-run double by Craig Thompson.

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Today’s Games

* Alabama (52-15) vs. Rice (59-14), 12:30 p.m.

* Florida State (54-13) vs. Cal State Fullerton (50-13), 4:30 p.m.

All times Pacific