Strong Statement for CS Fullerton

Cal State Fullerton, the nation’s No. 1-seeded team heading into the NCAA baseball playoffs, coasted past Temple in its opening regional game Friday night at Fullerton, but the challenge becomes much more formidable today when the Titans face No. 2 Arizona State.

Fullerton scored 12 runs in the first two innings and blasted the Owls, 17-3, before 2,312 at Goodwin Field. It was the most runs for Fullerton in an NCAA tournament game since scoring 19 against Delaware in 1996 at Wichita, Kan.

The Titans (42-15) will send their ace right-hander Kirk Saarloos (13-2, 2.26 earned-run average), the Big West Conference pitcher of the year, against the Sun Devils in the winner’s bracket at 4:30 today. Saarloos has won 13 consecutive decisions and has not been beaten since Feb. 4 by Stanford.

Junior left-hander Jon Switzer (5-5, 3.75) is scheduled to start for Arizona State. Switzer and Saarloos were teammates on Team USA last summer.

Arizona State (37-18-1) defeated No. 3 Texas Tech, 12-3, in the other first-round game Friday, pulling away with nine runs in the seventh inning.

Texas Tech (40-19-1) will play Temple (27-30) in an elimination game at 1 p.m. today.

For Fullerton, the best part of its victory over fourth-seeded Temple was not having to use one of its top starters.

The Titans went with senior Mike Nunez, who made his first start after nine relief appearances. Nunez was sidelined for the first 2 1/2 months of the season because of soreness in his elbow.

Nunez’s assignment enabled the Titans to keep two other top starters, senior Jon Smith (9-2) and freshman Darric Merrell (6-3), fresh to pitch later in the double-elimination tournament.

Nunez went to the sidelines after 3 1/3 innings after giving up two hits, and sophomore Nick Lovato took over.

Nunez struck out three and walked two while being charged with one run in the fourth.

Fullerton’s first-round game had the look of mismatch even before it began, and the Titans turned it into a rout early.

Arizona State 12, Texas Tech 3--Catcher Casey Myers led the Sun Devils, going four for five with three runs batted in and two runs scored.