Titans Take Same Road

Had Cal State Fullerton failed to advance from an NCAA baseball regional for the first time since 2002, much of the blame could have been placed not on the heart of the Titans but on the right arm of third base coach Rick Vanderhook.

Vanderhook had held the potential tying run at third base after Fullerton’s Jon Wilhite doubled to deep right-center with the bases loaded in the ninth inning Saturday night against Arizona, a decision that proved costly when the Titans failed to bring that run home during a defeat that left them one loss away from elimination.

But there was nothing wrong with Vanderhook’s right arm Monday night as it held up under a heavy workload during top-seeded Fullerton’s 6-3 victory over second-seeded Arizona in the regional championship in front of an announced 3,654 at Goodwin Field.

The Titans (45-16) advanced to a best-of-three super-regional against Arizona State beginning Friday or Saturday at Goodwin Field. Fullerton defeated the Sun Devils en route to College World Series appearances in 2003 and 2004.

Fullerton won its regional in the same manner it did last season on the way to the national championship -- with victories in its last three games after falling into the loser’s bracket.

“Any time you can scratch and claw and fight back in a tournament like this ... we’re elated,” said Fullerton Coach George Horton, who notched victory No. 401.

Regional most valuable player Wes Roemer, a freshman right-hander pitching on two days’ rest, gave up eight hits and three runs in eight-plus innings, and the Titans stretched a one-run lead to a seemingly comfortable margin with a five-run third inning made possible by a pair of Wildcat errors.

Then came the ninth. With Arizona trailing by four runs, Jordan Brown and Nick Hundley led off with consecutive singles, knocking out Roemer (7-3) in favor of closer Vinnie Pestano. Chris Frey then put a charge into a drive that center fielder Bobby Andrews snared with a diving catch near the warning track for the first out.

“Off the bat, I didn’t think I could catch it,” Andrews said. “I saw it in the air and told myself, ‘Just run as fast as you can.’ It’s probably one of the best catches I’ve ever made.”

Jason Donald loaded the bases with a bloop single to right before Derek Decater drove in a run with a sacrifice fly that left fielder Danny Dorn tracked down after a long run. Pinch-hitter Bill Rhinehart stepped to the plate representing the potential tying run but struck out swinging to end the game.

Blake Davis got things started during Fullerton’s five-run third when he singled up the middle with one out and advanced to second when Justin Turner was hit by a pitch.

Sergio Pedroza loaded the bases when he reached on a hard-hit grounder that bounced off the chest of Arizona first baseman Brown for an error. Brett Pill poked a run-scoring single through the left side of the infield and Dorn drove in another run with a groundout to make it 3-0. Ronnie Prettyman’s two-run single to left-center extended the lead to 5-0.