Fullerton Searches for Some Magic for Uphill Challenge

Cal State Fullerton Coach George Horton hopes his team’s dramatic ninth-inning comeback against Georgia Tech on Sunday amounts to more than just a nice conversation piece; he hopes it’s the start of something special.

The Titans are bidding to become the 10th team to win the College World Series after losing their opening game since the tournament switched to an eight-team, double-elimination format in 1950. USC was the last team to do it, in 1998.

Fullerton must win three more games in succession just to reach a best-of-three championship series, and the Titans’ task has already been complicated. Right-hander Lauren Gagnier, scheduled to start today’s 2 p.m. PDT elimination game against Clemson, is recovering from food poisoning.

Gagnier, who said his illness might have been caused by day-old pizza, was confined to the clubhouse Sunday for the first six innings of Fullerton’s 7-5 come-from-behind victory over the Yellow Jackets.

But Gagnier felt much better after returning to the dugout to watch the Titans rally for three runs in the ninth inning after having the bases empty with two out. Fullerton got two consecutive hits, an intentional walk, then an infielder chopper that scored two runs and a blooper into shallow left field that added an insurance run.

“That was a huge momentum-builder for us,” said Gagnier, who had surrendered two runs in a rare relief appearance during Fullerton’s 7-5 loss to North Carolina on Friday. “We were one strike away from our season being over.”

Clemson (53-15) represents the third consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference team the Titans (49-14) will play. Half of the eight teams at the College World Series are from the ACC.

If Fullerton defeats the Tigers, it would need to beat North Carolina twice to reach the championship series.

In 1979, Fullerton lost its series opener against Mississippi State before rebounding to beat Connecticut, Arizona, Pepperdine and Arkansas twice to win the school’s first national title.

“Usually, when somebody does something special like work their way through a loser’s bracket, something crazy like [Sunday’s] game is a part of it,” Horton said. “We’re not going to have any runs on the scoreboard because of that. We’re still going to have to do things.

“But I think, to a man, it helps us believe that maybe this is a team of destiny and maybe we’ll look back on that game and say, ‘Wow, we could have just as well been eliminated and we won a national championship.’

“I hope we’re talking about that some day.”

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OTHER GAMES

Rice 3, Miami 2 -- Tyler Henley led off the game with a home run, closer Cole St. Clair pitched five solid innings in a rare start, and Rice held off Miami.

The Owls (57-11) need to win once more to advance to the championship series.

Miami (42-23) fell short in its comeback bid in the ninth as Bryce Cox struck out the last two batters with the tying run on third base and the winning run on first. With the count 2-2, Jon Jay checked his swing and plate umpire Randy Harvey appealed to third-base ump Joe Burleson, who said Jay swung for strike three. Hurricanes Coach Jim Morris ran out of the dugout to argue the call, and was quickly ejected by Burleson.

Cox struck out Danny Valencia to end the game.

St. Clair (7-2), one of the country’s top closers, got the start against Miami and was outstanding early, keeping the Hurricanes off balance. He allowed one unearned run and three hits before being replaced by Bobby Bell to start the sixth after throwing 92 pitches.

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Oregon State 5, Georgia 3 -- Jonah Nickerson pitched seven innings to help Oregon State eliminate Georgia.

Chris Kunda drove in two runs for the Beavers (45-15).

Jonathan Wyatt’s home run was the only hit Nickerson allowed the first four innings. Georgia (47-23) converted three hits into a run in the fifth.

The Beavers, making their third College World Series appearance, bounced back from Saturday’s 11-1 loss to Miami to win for the first time in six CWS games. Georgia’s loss means the Southeastern Conference was winless in the CWS for the first time since 1994.

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From the Associated Press