Titans Back in Win Column

Cal State Fullerton avoided a three-game series sweep by UC Santa Barbara Sunday, but it wasn’t easy, even with Titan ace Kirk Saarloos on the mound.

The Gauchos broke up Saarloos’ shutout with four runs in the ninth inning, but the host Titans held on for a 6-4 victory after closer Chad Cordero came in to get the final out with the bases loaded.

The victory, which ended a three-game Fullerton losing streak, put the Titans (39-14, 12-3) back in sole possession of first place in the Big West Conference, a game ahead of Santa Barbara and two in front of Long Beach State with three conference games remaining.

Fullerton and Long Beach (34-18, 10-5) meet in a series beginning Friday at Fullerton. The 49ers completed a three-game sweep Sunday against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The Gauchos (37-13, 11-4) will host Cal Poly in their final regular-season series.

“That’s the best baseball any team has played against us for three games this season,” Titan Coach George Horton said of the Gauchos. “Santa Barbara deserves to be ranked in the top 15. I told our players that’s the kind of team you play in a super-regional series.”

Saarloos appeared to be on the way to his fifth shutout of the season after giving up only three hits in eight innings, but the Gauchos got to him for four hits in the ninth.

Singles by Mike Kolbach and Chad Peshke set up Tyler Von Schell’s one-out RBI double. Then Jeff Bannon ripped a three-run homer over the wall in left.

Mike Nunez replaced Saarloos and gave up a walk and two-out hits by Ryan Spilborghs and Jared Schumaker before Kolbach lined out to center against Cordero, who earned his 12th save, a Big West freshman record.

Saarloos (13-2) won his 13th consecutive game, but his earned-run average moved up to 2.03.

“I got the ball up in the ninth, and that’s what happened,” Saarloos said. “On the homer, I threw a changeup and it didn’t sink. I was disappointed to end the day that way, but our bullpen did a good job.”

Horton said he thought Saarloos “ran out of gas” in the ninth. “He was pitching well, then he seemed to hit the wall for some reason,” Horton said.

Mike Rouse gave the Titans a 2-0 lead in the second when he connected for his seventh homer of the season after Brett Kay singled, but the Titans didn’t score again until pushing across four runs in the sixth.

The big hit was a two-out, three-run double by Mike Martinez, making his first start since March 16. Fullerton had scored earlier in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Chris Stringfellow after hits by Jason Corapci and Kay.

The hit was only the third of the season in 30 at-bats for Martinez, who was sidelined part of the season with a sprained ankle. Horton started him at third base instead of Shawn Norris to add another right-handed batter to the lineup against left-hander Jim Bullard (7-4).

“Martinez’s hit was huge for us,” Horton said. “He’s had a frustrating season. He had the injury and he wasn’t in the lineup at other times because of a coaching decision, but it’s a tribute to his makeup that he stayed with it.”