Titans Keep Streak Alive With 14-Inning Victory

Cal State Fullerton blasted five home runs, including three in the sixth inning, but it took a base hit by freshman Shane Costa in the 14th inning Wednesday for the Titans to win their 14th consecutive game.

Costa’s line drive to left center with two outs drove in Chris Stringfellow with the winning run in Fullerton’s 11-10 victory over UCLA at Goodwin Field, keeping alive the nation’s longest current winning streak.

Costa’s game-winner ended a five-hour 54-minute game and gave Fullerton (28-10) its 20th victory in its last 22 games. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for UCLA (25-13).

“I was three-and-one and I knew he was going to come over with a fastball,” Costa said of the pitch from UCLA reliever Mike Castillo. “I was sitting on it. I don’t think I’d have swung if it hadn’t been a fastball.”

Stringfellow had singled and stole second to put the potential winning run in scoring position. Stringfellow had four hits in eight at-bats. The Titans had 21 hits to 22 for UCLA.

The Titans fell behind, 9-1, before they scored six runs in the sixth inning.

Aaron Rifkin and Matt Belfanti each homered and Stringfellow had a two-run shot after a double by Mike Rouse in the big inning. Another run came across on Jason Corapci’s sacrifice fly after a walk and hits by Shawn Norris and Robert Guzman loaded the bases. Rifkin’s second hit of the inning drove in the sixth run.

Fullerton closed the gap to 9-8 with a run in the seventh. Rouse and Stringfellow singled, and Belfanti grounded into a double play that brought in the run. Rouse hit a bases-empty one-out homer in the ninth to tie the score, 9-9, and send it into extra innings.

“I felt like we could make a run at it if we could just get them stopped,” Titan Coach George Horton said.

The Titans pulled out all the stops to shut down UCLA in the late innings. Fullerton used top reliever Chad Cordero in the eighth and staff ace Kirk Saarloos in the ninth before Sean Martin took over and pitched the final five innings to earn his first victory of the season.

Martin, the seventh Titan pitcher, gave up six hits and three walks, but UCLA got its only one run off him on Eric Reece’s leadoff homer in the top of the 12th.

But Fullerton came back for a run without a hit in the bottom of the 12th. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with one out, and the tying run scored when Rouse grounded into a force at second.

“[Martin] walked some guys, but he made pitches when he had to,” Horton said. “It was a gutty effort. He made 92 pitches and that’s longer than he’s used to throwing.”

Martin said he could have continued if the Titans had needed more innings. “I knew that most everyone else we had ready had pitched,” Martin said. “But I could have stayed out there as long as they needed me.”

Fullerton threatened to end it in the 13th. David Bacani doubled with two out, and Guzman and Corapci walked to load the bases. Rifkin bunted down the third-base line, but was thrown out at first on a close play that ended the inning.

“I thought we had it won on Rifkin’s bunt,” Costa said. “But I knew we could still do it. Coming back like we did showed a lot of character.”