Titans, Oborn Extend Streaks in Victory Over Nevada

A shaky start didn’t prove fatal to Cal State Fullerton against Nevada Friday night at Titan Field.

A five-run Nevada lead disappeared quickly after the Titans got rolling, and Fullerton won its 13th consecutive game, 11-5, in the opener of a Big West Conference baseball series.

The victory was Fullerton’s 22nd in 24 games, and kept the 11th-ranked Titans (23-5, 7-0) alone in first place. Nevada (19-8, 5-2) fell two games behind. The three-game series continues tonight at 7.

Titan starter Matt Sorensen gave up five runs in the first two innings, but came back to shut out Nevada over the next six innings. Sorensen (6-0) gave up four hits, three walks and hit two batters in first two innings, but yielded only four hits and two walks the rest of the way. Reliever Jordan DeJong pitched the ninth.

“I came out feeling good, but they just hit me,” Sorensen said. “Then our guys turned the momentum around, and that really helped me.”

Fullerton scored six runs in the third inning for an 8-5 lead. Freshman Robert Guzman had a three-run triple in the inning and Reed Johnson hit his fourth homer in four games. The Titans’ Spencer Oborn had two hits, stretching his hitting streak to 27 games.

“Matt had 73 pitches after the first two innings, so that was a gutty effort to get us eight innings,” Titan Coach George Horton said. “At first he seemed to be trying to guide the ball instead of attacking the strike zone. Our team didn’t panic, and got eight runs in a hurry.”

The Wolf Pack scored four in the first after Sorensen struck out two of the first three batters he faced. Sorensen hit the next batter, and Don Price drilled a shot that skipped off shortstop Chad Olszanski’s glove for one run.

Sorensen gave up another walk, and Jarrell McIntyre singled up the middle for two more. Another run scored on Chris Nickerson’s hit. Nevada picked up another run in the second on a wild pitch by Sorensen.

The Titans scored twice in the second, then went into high gear in the third inning.

Johnson led off the third with his sixth homer of the season, but Guzman’s three-run triple was the big hit. Guzman also scored when the relay throw to third was wild.

Oborn’s single and three consecutive walks had produced one run earlier in the inning.

In nonconference baseball:

Chapman 9, Eastern Connecticut 1--Jeff Blitstein went the distance and struck out nine for the host Panthers (19-2), against the defending Division III national champs. Tony Serna helped out by going two for three with a home run and three RBIs.

At the Cal State Hayward softball tournament:

Chapman 3, San Francisco State 0--Stephanie Carew led the host Panthers (24-1), with a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Tiffany Hoskins (8-1) got the shutout as she struck out seven.

In the first game, Chapman shut out Central Washington, 4-0. Linsey Buendia (9-0) struck out nine and pitched a shutout for the Panthers. Chrissy Lake was two for three with an RBI for the Panthers.

In Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men’s volleyball:

UC Irvine 3, UC San Diego 0--Donnie Rafter had 19 kills and five digs for UCI (11-8, 8-6). Cory Hinkle had 47 assists for the Anteaters, who won, 15-6, 15-9, 15-12.