Stanford Shuts Out Fullerton

Stanford continued its recent run of baseball success against Cal State Fullerton Sunday, much to the chagrin of Titan Coach George Horton.

Jason VanMeetren and Jason Cooper blasted consecutive home runs off Titan starter Kirk Saarloos in the sixth inning, and Stanford pitchers Tim Cunningham and Mike Wodnicki shut down the host Titans on four hits in a 3-0 Cardinal victory in front of 2,051.

It was the fourth consecutive series Stanford (4-3) has won from Fullerton (1-3). It also was the Cardinal’s eighth victory in the last nine games between the teams, including one in the 1999 College World Series. Fullerton ended a six-game losing streak against Stanford in the opener of the three-game series Friday.

“I’m getting tired of losing to those guys,” Horton said. “Before, it seemed like were winning a lot of the series two out of three.”

Cunningham, a sophomore left-hander, was too much for the Titans Sunday, giving up only three hits and one walk in 6 2/3 innings. Wodnicki replaced him with two out in the seventh and gave up one hit the rest of the way.

It was the first time in 74 games that the Titans have been shut out, dating to a 4-0 loss to Long Beach State late in the 1999 season.

Cunningham (2-0) retired the first eight batters he faced, and didn’t give up a hit until Brett Kay’s ground-ball single with two out in the fourth.

Saarloos also was pitching well and had struck out the first two batters in the sixth before VanMeetren’s shot over the wall in left. Two pitches later, Cooper’s drive cleared the wall in right center.

Stanford picked up another run off Saarloos in the seventh on Carlos Quentin’s RBI single.

The home runs changed the game’s momentum.

“Saarloos got both those pitches up too high, and he doesn’t normally do that,” Horton said. “But he’s pitched good enough to be 2-0 now. We didn’t play very well behind him either time he’s pitched.

But he’ll be fine. He’ll win a lot of games this season.”

Saarloos fell to 0-2, giving up seven hits while walking two and striking out eight.

“Stanford made me pay for my mistakes,” Saarloos said. “I might have gotten by with those pitches earlier in the game when my velocity and movement were better. I didn’t think I was getting that tired, but I just need to get my legs and arm ready to pitch more innings.”

Saarloos moved into the starting rotation this season after leading the Big West Conference with a 2.32 earned-run average as a closer last season.

Nick Lovato came on in relief and held Stanford scoreless on one hit in the last two innings.

The Titans play at second-ranked USC Tuesday before going on the road for a three-game series at Baylor beginning Friday in Waco, Texas.