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Defending National Champ And No. 3 Cal State Fullerton Hands No. 6 Stanford First Loss, 5-3
Feb. 4, 2005
Fullerton, Calif. - Defending national champion and No. 3 Cal State Fullerton (1-0) handed No. 6 Stanford (3-1) its first loss of the season with a 5-3 victory over the Cardinal in the opener of a non-conference three-game series on Friday. The Cardinal led 3-2 in a game that was played in front of a Goodwin Field record crowd of 3611 until the Titans scored three times with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Justin Turner's two-RBI single snapped a 3-3 tie and provided the winning margin. Ricky Romero and Adam Jorgensen combined on a three-hitter and struck out 11 Cardinal batters. Romero (1-0) earned the victory by scattering three runs (two earned) and three hits with seven strikeouts and three walks over the first 6.0 innings. Jorgensen allowed just two walks and struck out four over the final 3.0 frames to pick up the save in his first collegiate appearance. Stanford starter Mark Romanczuk (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) and four hits with five walks and three strikeouts over the first 5.2 innings. Matt Leva (2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 SO) finished the game for the Cardinal. Cal State Fullerton's Neil Walton (2-3, RBI, SB) was the only player for either team with a multiple-hit contest in a game that also had no extra base hits and only 10 hits overall. The Titans' three-run sixth started when Brett Pill singled with one out, but Romanczuk was just one out away from getting out of the inning when he came back to retire the next hitter Ronnie Prettyman on a fly out to Chris Lewis in left field. Walton kept the rally going with a single through the right side of the infield and Romanczuk's walk to John Curtis marked the end of his evening. Leva inherited a bases loaded situation and hit pinch-hitter Blake Davis with his first pitch to tie the game at 3-3, before Turner came through with his game-winning line drive to centerfield. The Titans scored a run off Romanczuk in the bottom of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. Bobby Andrews drew a leadoff walk before stealing second base, moving to third on a fly out by Turner and scoring on a sacrifice fly by Felipe Garcia. Stanford took a short-lived 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning. Ben Summerhays drew a leadoff walk and Adam Sorgi singled before Lewis bunted the runners over to second and third base. Chris Minaker was then credited with an RBI when he reached on an error by Walton at shortstop that Summerhays would have scored on even if Walton had made the play. Jed Lowrie then singled home Sorgi for another Cardinal score but Mayberry hit into an inning-ending doubleplay to end the threat. Cal State Fullerton tied the score at 2-2 in bottom of the fourth when Walton's RBI single with out scored Danny Dorn, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and advanced to third when Lewis dropped a one-out fly ball down the left field line by Prettyman. Stanford went back in front 3-2 with an unearned run in the top of the seventh. Lowrie reached when Pill dropped a throw at first base from Prettyman on a one-out grounder to the Cal State Fullerton third baseman. Lowrie then stole second base and scored when a two-out grounder by Michael Taylor went through Pretty man's legs at third. The teams continue their series on Saturday (6 pm, PT) and Sunday (1 pm, PT). Stanford RHP Jeff Gilmore (1-0, 0.00) is slated to go against Cal State Fullerton LHP Ryan Schreppel (0-0, 0.00) on Saturday. Sunday's scheduled starters are RHP Greg Reynolds (0-0, 8.10) for the Cardinal and LHP Scott Sarver (0-0, 0.00) for the Titans. NOTES
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