Fullerton Lets One Get Away

Cal State Fullerton appeared on the verge of a three-game sweep against Nevada that would have given the first-place Titans a little breathing room in the Big West Conference baseball race.

Instead, Nevada scored six runs in the final two innings--four after two were out in the ninth--for a 7-5 victory Sunday at Fullerton. Five of the runs came off Fullerton’s usually reliable closer, Kirk Saarloos.

The loss left Fullerton (30-16, 17-7) with a one-game lead over second-place Long Beach State. Nevada (31-17, 15-9) is two games behind after its first victory over the Titans in six games this season.

Nevada’s big hit was Don Price’s bloop double that fell between three Titan players in short center field in the ninth, scoring two runs.

“I thought the game was over when that ball went up, but it fell in there,” Saarloos said.

Nevada’s final run came after Alex Rangel singled to right and Price scored when catcher Craig Patterson dropped the throw from outfielder Robert Guzman.

“We keep shooting ourselves in the foot,” Fullerton Coach George Horton said. “We make things difficult for ourselves. We haven’t been able to put people away, but you have to give Nevada credit.”

The Titans wasted a solid pitching effort by starter Ronnie Corona, who held Nevada to one run in the first seven innings. Corona gave up seven hits and two walks.

“Corona continues to get better and better,” Horton said. “It was a big effort from him. That’s what made this sting even more.”

Corona gave up a leadoff double to Ryan Church in the eighth and was replaced by Saarloos, the conference’s most effective relief pitcher. Saarloos got two quick outs, but Rangel and Bo Bryant nailed him for run-scoring doubles.

Saarloos (6-5), with a conference-leading 2.09 earned-run average heading into the series, struck out two of the first three batters he faced in the ninth before running into trouble.

“Saarloos didn’t have his best stuff,” Horton said. “He had two strikes on a couple of those guys in the ninth with two out, and he’s usually very good at finishing off hitters.”

Fullerton missed a good chance to add to a 5-3 lead in the eighth with runners on second and third with one out, but Shawn Norris and Chris Stringfellow were both out in rundowns after Guzman, who had three hits in the game, missed a squeeze bunt sign.

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Big West Baseball Standings

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Conference Overall Team W L Pct. W L Pct. CS Fullerton 17 7 .708 30 16 .652 Long Beach State 16 8 .667 29 20 .591 Nevada 15 9 .625 31 17 .645 UCSB 14 10 .582 24 22 .522 Cal Poly SLO 13 10 .565 27 21 .562 Sacramento St. 12 11 .521 19 29 .395 Pacific 5 19 .208 22 26 .458 New Mexico State 3 21 .125 18 31 .367

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