Fullerton Blasts Into the Series

Cal State Fullerton is back in the College World Series.

The question now is whether Omaha’s Roseblatt Stadium can hold Aaron Rifkin and Mike Rouse.

Rifkin blasted three homers Saturday night and Rouse hit his fourth homer in two games to lead the No. 1-seeded Titans to a 9-3 victory over Mississippi State and a two-game sweep of the best-of-three NCAA super regional in front of 3,412 at Goodwin Field.

Rifkin’s three-run homer, his 15th, came during a four-run seventh inning that buried the Bulldogs (39-24).

It will be the 11th trip to the College World Series for Fullerton (46-16), and second in three years under Coach George Horton.

But this one was different. For the first time, Fullerton didn’t have to win a playoff game on the road and was able to celebrate at home. “That made it special,” Horton said. Rifkin was four for five with six runs batted in.

“When I hit that last homer, I got chills from the crowd by the time I got to first base,” Rifkin said.

Fullerton will meet Nebraska in its opening game at the College World Series. The date and time have not been determined.

Nebraska, seeded eighth nationally when the playoffs began, swept Rice in its super regional. The Titans got a solid pitching performance from freshman starter Darric Merrell (7-4), who gave up seven hits and three runs in 6 1/3 innings.

Mike Nunez struck out the two batters he faced in the seventh and closer Chad Cordero held the Bulldogs scoreless on two hits in the final two innings.

Merrell had struggled in his previous two outings. He gave up seven runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings in a regional loss to Texas Tech after Long Beach State ripped him for seven runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings in his final start in the regular season.

Merrell got off to another bad start in the first inning against the Bulldogs, but managed to hang in for his first victory since May 5 against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Michael Brown and Phillip Willingham had consecutive one-out singles, and Merrell walked Jason Burkley to load the bases. Matthew Brinson hit into a double play, scoring Brown, and the Bulldogs picked up another run when Enrico Jones doubled.

The Titans came back to cut the lead to 2-1 in the second on Rifkin’s leadoff home run. Fullerton loaded the bases on hits by Rouse and Chris Stringfellow and a walk to Louie Lamoure.

Rifkin’s second homer gave the Titans a 3-2 lead in the third after Jason Corapci’s two-out walk.

Bulldog starter Paul Maholm (8-5) gave up a leadoff single to Rouse in the fourth, and Rouse reached second on a passed ball, but Maholm struck out the next three batters and retired the Titans in order in the fifth.

Maholm also struck out Rifkin and Brett Kay, the first two batters in the sixth, but Rouse delivered a solo homer that boosted Fullerton’s lead to 4-2.

The Bulldogs came back for a run in the sixth. Matthew Brinson tripled off the wall in center with one out and scored on Jones’ infield out, but the Titans came up big in the seventh.

David Bacani drove in one run after Louie Lamoure singled, advanced on a bunt and stole third.

Then, with two out, Corapci walked after a controversial call on in which the umpires ruled that a two-strike foul tip hit Corapci’s foot before catcher Jason Burkley caught it. Mississippi State Coach Pat McMahon heatedly protested the call when Corapci was allowed to return to the plate, and Rifkin ripped a three-run homer to right to make it 8-3.