Fullerton Rolls Past Minnesota

Cal State Fullerton wasn’t pleased about being the second seed in its own NCAA baseball regional despite winning 21 of its last 25 games and taking the Big West Conference title.

The Titans took those ill feelings out on Minnesota on Friday night when Ronnie Prettyman drove in three runs to support another complete game by ace right-hander Jason Windsor in a 7-1 victory before 3,211 at Goodwin Field.

Fullerton (37-20) advanced to a 3 p.m. winner’s bracket game today against Pepperdine.

“We were [slighted] to be quite honest with you,” Fullerton Coach George Horton said. “Our league RPI is fourth in the country and we dominated the Big West Conference. For us not to be a No. 1 seed must reflect back on our preseason.”

Windsor (9-4), a senior who was the league’s co-pitcher of the year with Long Beach State’s Jered Weaver, won his seventh in a row. Using 121 pitches, he gave up five hits in his seventh consecutive complete game.

“He beat us with fastball command,” Minnesota Coach John Anderson said. “He threw enough curveballs and changeups to keep you honest. He’s pitched this way for them down the stretch and he’s beaten some good people.”

After two weeks without a scheduled game, Fullerton managed a 2-0 lead after two innings on a sacrifice fly by Danny Dorn and a run-scoring single by Prettyman.

Windsor gave Fullerton time to find its offense. In a five-run sixth, Felipe Garcia and Neil Walton added to the lead with run-producing singles and Prettyman delivered the big blow with a two-run triple.

Jake Elder led off with a home run to left field for Minnesota (38-22), the Big Ten champion.

Pepperdine 15, Arizona State 5 -- In the regional’s first game, Chad Tracy and Patrick Rooney led Pepperdine, one of only four playoff teams in the field of 64 with a losing record, to an upset of top-seeded Arizona State.

Tracy, a catcher, homered and drove in five runs. Rooney, a shortstop, knocked in four runs and the Waves (29-30) battered five Arizona State pitchers for 16 hits and took advantage of four Sun Devil errors.

“We kind of surprised everybody, including ourselves,” Pepperdine Coach Steve Rodriguez said. “We don’t do anything special but we do play hard.”

Pepperdine rallied from an early two-run deficit and broke a 3-3 tie by scoring five runs in the seventh and 12 runs over the final three innings.

Tracy’s run-scoring single broke the tie and the Waves added two more on an throwing error by All-America shortstop Dustin Pedroia.

One out later, Nick Kliebert hit a two-run double down the left-field line for an 8-3 lead.

Kea Kometani gave up 14 hits but kept the big-hitting Sun Devils (40-17) to five runs in eight innings. The Waves helped him out by turning two double plays and not committing an error.

“I just stuck with my game plan and kept the ball down especially when guys were on base,” Kometani said. “I let my defense work for me.”