Sorensen, Saarloos Pitch In for Titans

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-victory season and sends them into another elimination game today (4:30 p.m. PDT, ESPN2) 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 gave up 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, who improved to 12-0, gave up six hits in the first three innings, but then was in control until the ninth. It was the third game this season he has not given up a walk.

“Matt did a phenomenal job,” Saarloos said.

“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; scored 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 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 winning hit.

Oborn had gone eight consecutive games without an RBI.

“I had some swings in batting practice that just didn’t feel right, but I didn’t let it bother me,” Oborn said. “I wanted to make sure I got those runs in.”

Sorensen gave up a leadoff hit to Porter in the seventh, then retired the next three batters. Texas A&M; made it easy on him in the eighth when Sorensen needed only four pitches to retire the side in order.

Titan Coach George Horton was particularly pleased with the pitching and the defense.

“Matt’s problems come when he gets behind in the count and tries to nibble,” Horton said. “Those misses become walks. We tried to tell him to rely on his defense and just throw the ball over the plate.”

The Titans got two good defensive plays in the late innings. Robert Guzman made a running catch of a line drive in right for the final out in the seventh, and first baseman Chris Beck chased down a high pop-up in foul territory for the first out in the ninth.

Texas A&M; got a solid pitching effort from Matt Ward, who took his first loss of the year in nine decisions. Ward, who played at Irvine High and Rancho Santiago College, gave up eight hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings.

“I thought Ward did a great job, but Fullerton brings pretty much everything we expected from them,” Johnson said. “I thought we were going to rally in the ninth the way we’ve been doing all year.”

Texas A&M; had won nine games in its last at-bat this season. The loss sent the second of two Big 12 teams to the sidelines. Oklahoma State was ousted a day earlier.