Florida State Sends Titans Back Home

Florida State had too much firepower and pitching for Cal State Fullerton Wednesday night in the College World Series.

The Seminoles ended the Titans’ NCAA playoff run with a 7-2 victory in front of 22,155 in Rosenblatt Stadium, overwhelming starter Jon Smith with consecutive home runs in the third inning after scoring twice in the second.

The Titans (50-14) hit only .220 in the College World Series, bowing out with only eight runs and 22 hits in three games. It was the fewest runs scored in three consecutive games this season by a Titan team that still set a school record with its .338 season batting average.

Florida State (55-13) advances to a repeat matchup with Stanford (50-13) today, thanks to a strong pitching effort by Chris Chavez.

Chavez, primarily a relief pitcher this season, stopped the Titans with a complete-game seven-hitter in his third start of the season.

Kirk Saarloos, the Titan closer, came on in relief in the fourth inning and held Florida State to only one hit and no runs in 4 1/3 innings, but the damage had been done.

“Chavez is a bulldog of a pitcher, and they played great defense behind him,” Titan Coach George Horton said. “We didn’t swing the bats as well as we have this season, but when you come to Omaha you know you’re playing against the best teams in the country.”

Florida State Coach Mike Martin thought Chavez (8-5) was outstanding. It was his second victory in the College World Series after pitching five innings in relief Saturday against Texas A&M.;

“It was a big disappointment to him that he didn’t get to pitch here last year,” Martin said. “I made up my mind that he was going to get the ball this year. The weather helped us too. The rainout gave him another day of rest.”

Smith (7-1), troubled by arm and shoulder soreness this season, gave up seven hits and four runs and didn’t make it out of the third inning.

“When I warmed up I felt great, but that doesn’t always dictate how you throw,” Smith said. “I had some control trouble with my changeup, and I had to throw my fastball more than I wanted.”

The Seminoles scored two runs off Smith in the second. A walk to Jeremiah Klosterman and a two-out double to Karl Jernigan set up Brett Groves’ two-run single.

Smith had thrown 41 pitches through two innings, 32 of them in the second inning, and gave up consecutive home runs to Marshall McDougall and Matt Diaz, the first two batters in the third.

It was the third time this season the two have hit back-to-back homers. It was the 26th homer of the season for McDougall, who set an NCAA record with six in one game against Maryland during the regular season.

“They made me throw a lot, but they hit some good pitches,” Smith said. “Those home runs were a good job of hitting. They have great hitters all through their lineup, and when I got a little wild they capitalized on it.”

The Seminoles scored three more runs in the fourth off relief pitcher Marco Hanlon before Saarloos came on to get a double-play ball from pinch-hitter Sam Scott to end the inning.

“I told Coach I wanted the ball, and I could go as long as he needed me,” Saarloos said.

The Titans just couldn’t get back in the game against Chavez. Fullerton scored a run in the first on a double by Reed Johnson and an RBI single by Spencer Oborn, but didn’t get another run until the fifth when Chris Beck drove in David Bacani, who had singled and advanced on a passed ball.

“We couldn’t seem to get the clutch hit, and sustain anything,” Horton said.

Beck, who finished the season as Fullerton’s leading hitter with a .408 batting average, said he was disappointed the hitting wasn’t better in Omaha.

“Tonight we hit some balls hard, but they were right at people,” Beck said. “It seems like it was that way in all three games. It was frustrating. But that’s what happens sometimes when you play against a good defensive team.”

Third baseman Ryan Owens said he thought Chavez deserved the credit for a good pitching performance. “He made the big pitches when he needed them,” Owens said. “But I think the pitching here was the kind we saw all year, but they did a fabulous job against us.”

In another elimination game:

Alabama 6, Rice 5--Sam Bozanich blooped a two-out single into short right field to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning, eliminating Rice. The Alabama rally came against Rice’s top pitcher, Mario Ramos, who came in to start the ninth. The Crimson Tide overcame two home runs by Damon Thames, who drove in four runs.

DIANE PUCIN: Titans aren’t too sad; just getting to Omaha was a dream come true. Page 12