Cal State Fullerton
Mustangs Clinch Cal State Fullerton Series With 4-2 Victory
4/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Senior right-hander Steven Fischback pitched a five-hitter for his second career complete game as Cal Poly clinched its Big West Conference baseball series against No. 5/8 Cal State Fullerton with a 4-2 victory Friday night before 1,403 in Baggett Stadium.
Fischback, who improved to 4-2 with his 11th career win as a Mustang, struck out seven and walked three (two intentionally), throwing a season-high 122 pitches. One of the runs he allowed was unearned.
With the win, Coach Larry Lee's Mustangs improved to 18-16 overall with their seventh straight victory, including three consecutive triumphs against top-25 teams. Cal Poly and Cal State Fullerton (27-11 overall) are tied for first place in the Big West with 8-3 marks. UC Irvine is a game back at 7-4 following Friday's 10-inning 3-2 loss to UC Davis.
Cal Poly leads the three-game series, two games to zero, with the finale set for Saturday at 1 p.m. The Mustangs have won a series against Cal State Fullerton only one other time in the last 38 years, winning two of three games in 2007, also at Baggett Stadium.
Cal Poly, now 5-1 against top-25 teams this season, is 6-8 against the four-time national champion Titans over the last five seasons.
Fischback (pictured above), who missed the 2009 and 2010 seasons due to labrum surgery, last threw a complete game on April 20, 2008, against UC Davis. He lowered his ERA to 3.60 and retired the side in order three times en route to his first career victory against a top-25 team.
Cal Poly won Thursday's series opener 7-2 behind Mason Radeke's complete-game 10-hitter. The Mustangs produced back-to-back complete games this weekend for the first time since Garrett Olson and Jimmy Shull recorded complete games against Long Beach State at Blair Field on May 13-14, 2005.
Both the Mustangs and Titans scored a run in the sixth inning. Shortstop Anthony Trajano singled to left field to drive in the run for the Titans and Mustang right fielder Mitch Haniger doubled to lead off the bottom of the sixth and advanced on fly balls to the outfield by J.J. Thompson and DJ Gentile.
The Mustangs snapped the 1-1 deadlock with three unearned runs in the seventh.
Third baseman Evan Busby singled to left field to open the rally and it was the lone hit of the inning. Left fielder Jimmy Allen laid down a sacrifice bunt and the throw was dropped by second baseman Matt Orloff covering first base for an error. Busby took third on the play and scored on center fielder Bobby Crocker's sacrifice fly to right.
Back-to-back bases-loaded walks issued to Thompson and Gentile enabled Cal Poly to expand its lead to 4-1.
Cal State Fullerton scored an unearned run in the ninth on a passed ball, but Fischback induced catcher Jared Deacon to ground out to shortstop to end the game.
The loss went to Titan junior right-hander Colin O'Connell (5-3), who allowed three runs (one earned) and seven hits in six-plus innings with one walk and three strikeouts.
Cal Poly's seven hits included two singles by second baseman Denver Chavez and doubles by Crocker and Haniger. Thompson's 11-game hitting streak came to an end as he went 0-for-3 with a walk.
Nick Ramirez doubled for Cal State Fullerton.
Cal Poly will send freshman right-hander Chase Johnson (1-2, 3.23 ERA) to the mound Saturday against Cal State Fullerton junior right-hander Tyler Pill (4-0, 2.21 ERA).
