Titans’ Johnson Strikes Again

Adam Johnson broke the Cal State Fullerton career strikeout record Friday night.

He also got some good run support for a change.

Johnson struck out 14, boosting his three-year total to 320, and held UC Santa Barbara to five hits in eight innings as the Titans won the opener of a three-game Big West Conference series at Fullerton, 6-1.

The victory lifted first-place Fullerton to 26-14, 14-5 in the conference. Santa Barbara is 21-20, 11-8.

“Those six runs must have seemed like 26 to Adam the way we’ve been scoring runs for him lately,” Titan Coach George Horton said.

The Titans had scored a combined seven runs for Johnson (5-2) in his three previous starts, and he was winless with one loss during that stretch.

Johnson, tying his season-high strikeout effort, broke the Titan record of 309 set by Tim Thompson in 1980-83 after striking out four of the first five batters he faced.

“For Adam to break that record in two years as a starter and one as a closer is unbelievable,” Horton said.

Chad Peshke, the Gauchos’ No. 3 hitter, nailed Johnson for a homer in the first, but Santa Barbara was shut out the rest of the way. Closer Kirk Saarloos took over for Johnson in the ninth, retiring the Gauchos in order.

“It was great to get the record, and it was great to get that many runs,” Johnson said. “It was a warm night and my arm felt really good. I was a little tired after the eighth, so it was good for Kirk to come in and do his thing.”

The Titans gave Johnson three runs in the first.

Gaucho starter Gabe Neboyia (4-6) hit David Bacani and walked Jason Corapci to get in trouble quickly. Matt Belfanti’s drive to right bounced back into play off the top of the wall, scoring Bacani.

“I thought that ball hit the net and came back, so I thought it should have been a homer,” Horton said. “But I don’t think it made any big difference, other than costing Matt a homer.”

Fullerton scored another run on Chris Beck’s single to short right, and Jeff Gates’ hit scored Belfanti.

The Titans got two more runs in the fourth for a 5-1 lead when Aaron Rifkin doubled and Gates homered to right. Gates was three for three with three RBIs. Santa Barbara put two runners on base against Johnson in the sixth on consecutive hits by Mike Kolbach and Jeff Bannon, but Johnson ended the inning with a strikeout. He struck out the side in the eighth.

In a nonconference game:

Miami 6, Long Beach State 3--Miami rallied with three runs in the third and three more in the seventh to defeat the 49ers (25-18).