Baylor Outburst Drops Fullerton

Fifth-ranked Cal State Fullerton had the opportunity to sweep 10th-ranked Baylor Sunday, the same way top-ranked Stanford swept the Titans in a three-game series a week ago.

But Fullerton didn’t have the “attitude” for it, according to Coach George Horton.

Instead, the Titans were beaten, 9-1, on a rainy day at Titan Field and dropped to 2-4. The record is Fullerton’s worst after six games since the 1991 team won its opener and lost its next five games.

“I call Sundays ‘attitude day,’ ” Horton said. “I think the team with the best attitude wins a lot of those games, but we just showed up today. We can’t do that against the kinds of teams we’re playing. I’m disappointed.”

After ripping the Bears, 16-4, Saturday on 22 hits, Fullerton had only four hits Sunday, and was the victim of a six-run Baylor third inning.

“I think we probably felt we were going to sweep them, instead of going out and playing our best baseball,” outfielder Chris Beck said. “We should have hit better than we did, but I don’t want to take anything away from their pitching.”

Baylor starter Kyle Evans (2-0) gave up three hits and no runs in seven innings and Justin Taylor held the Titans to one hit and one run in the final two innings.

Fullerton starter Ronnie Corona lasted only 2 2/3 innings. He gave up seven hits and was charged with seven runs, four of which were unearned.

Corona (0-2) gave up a bases-empty homer to catcher Kelly Shoppach in the second.

Corona had two outs in the third before Jace Brewer connected for a two-run homer.

After that, an error by freshman shortstop Mike Martinez on a bad-hop ground ball that hit him in the chest opened the door for Baylor. Corona gave up a walk and three consecutive hits before being replaced by Matt Sorensen. Sorensen yielded a single and a walk, and it took a diving catch by center fielder Chris Stringfellow to end the inning.

The Bears (4-2) got two runs on six hits in four innings against Sorensen. He was replaced by Kirk Saarloos, who held the Bears hitless in the final 2 1/3 innings.

Pitching coach Dave Serrano said he is becoming concerned about Corona after his earned-run average soared to 8.31.

“He’s pitched tentatively for two weekends in a row, and that’s not in his character,” Serrano said. “I don’t think it’s mechanical. I think it may be more mental.”

Serrano said Corona, a transfer from Cypress College, probably will start Tuesday night’s home game against sixth-ranked USC since he worked less than three full innings Sunday. Sorensen is expected to move into the rotation for a three-game weekend series against Nevada Las Vegas.

“Pitching is such a big part of the game right now, and we got a well-pitched game this time,” Baylor Coach Steve Smith said. “[Corona] didn’t have the command that Fullerton’s starters in the first two games did. It seemed like he had trouble hitting his locations.”

Smith said he was particularly impressed with Adam Johnson’s six-hit effort Friday when the Titans won, 1-0.

“For a guy who throws with so much effort, he really had good command of his pitches,” Smith said. “I thought the other two games of the series would be more like the first one. But hitting can be contagious. It was that way for Fullerton one day, and for us the next.”

Horton was disappointed that Sunday’s game was such a sharp reversal from Saturday.

“Everything they hit seemed to find a hole or go over the fence,” Horton said.