Titans win to advance to super regional

Raymond Hernandez has gone from spectator to spectacular in two days.

Hernandez, academically ineligible during the regular season, smoothed out what seemed to be building to a last-man-standing game in the Fullerton Regional at Goodwin Field on Monday night.

The Titans racked up seven extra-base hits in a 9-5 victory over Minnesota. Christian Colon, drafted fourth overall by the Kansas City Royals on Monday, and Corey Jones both had three runs batted in. Nick Ramirez had a two-run homer that broke a 4-4 tie in the fifth inning.

But it was Hernandez who nudged the Titans (45-16) into a super regional for the 10th time in 12 seasons with three solid innings of relief.

Fullerton will face UCLA at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday at 7:30 in the first game of a best-of-three series. Fullerton eliminated the Bruins in 2007 and 2008.

Minnesota (32-30) seemed in lock step with Fullerton batters through four innings. Hernandez entered and retired eight consecutive batters. Hernandez, who threw two shutout innings in his first game of the season Sunday, retired nine of 11 batters before leaving to a standing ovation with two out in the seventh.

That little bit of breathing room seemed all the Titans needed to take control of the game.

Jones had a home run and run-scoring double to extend his hitting streak to 24 games, third-longest in Fullerton history.

chris.foster@latimes.com

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