Junior pitcher Thomas Eshelman tosses a warmup pitch during Friday night’s 7-2 win over UC Irvine at Goodwin Field. Eshelman was back to his dominant self, logging eight innings and fanning 13 batters while only allowing six hits, two earned runs and no walks.
(Elias Sanchez / For The Daily Titan)
Cal State Fullerton baseball had its work cut out this weekend as it faced a UC Irvine team that sits atop the Big West Conference with an 11-4 conference record.
The Titans (22-20 overall, 8-4 Big West) won two out of three games against the Anteaters (24-16) this weekend at Goodwin Field; winning 7-2 Friday, suffering a 5-4 loss Saturday in extra innings and taking the rubber match 7-5 on Sunday.
Fullerton played all-around great baseball Friday night.
With Fullerton up 1-0, junior center fielder Tyler Stieb made a spectacular over the shoulder running catch with two outs in the third inning to save a UCI run and get the Titan fans on their feet.
Sophomore Timmy Richards and junior Josh Vargas each accumulated three hits on the day and both chipped in with a run batted in apiece.
Friday’s game featured the Titans’ star pitcher Thomas Eshelman. Eshelman’s strong pitching performance and command of the plate were able to ward off the Anteaters and secure the victory for Fullerton.
Eshelman began the game strong, striking out 10 in the first five innings while only allowing one hit through the first 5.2 innings.
Eshelman finished the game giving up six hits and two earned runs while striking out 13 through eight innings. The junior has now consecutively pitched eight innings through his last three starts, but Titans Head Coach Rick Vanderhook doesn’t seem worried about the amount his star has been throwing of late.
“He hasn’t been over 100 pitches in eight innings. It’s about pitch count and he hasn’t been over 100. He got to 116 tonight. He’s a horse. He’s not like a little guy with a frail body; he’s a big man. He’s been there before,” Vanderhook said.
Justin Garza was on the mound for the Titans on Saturday night. The junior finished the game giving up four earned runs and nine hits while striking out two over five innings of work.
The Titans fell short of a victory Saturday night as they stranded 13 baserunners. While the Titans managed to put runners on base, they failed to get the hits when they mattered most.
With the chance to extend the game, Fullerton left two men aboard in the bottom of the 10th.
The Titans struck first Saturday as junior David Olmedo-Barrera launched a home run over the right center field wall in the fourth inning, which give Fullerton the 1-0 lead. Olmedo-Barrera finished the game 3-for-5 with two RBIs.
That lead would be short-lived as UCI answered back in the top of the fifth inning with four runs.
Down 4-1 going into the bottom of the fifth, the Titans scored three runs to tie the game. Neither team would score another run until the 10th inning, when Irvine’s Cameron Bishop knocked in teammate Mikey Duarte, which would prove to be the game-winning run.
Fullerton showed off their bats in the series finale Sunday afternoon by scoring seven runs in support of starting pitcher John Gavin.
The Anteaters and Titans both managed to start the game with a run in the first inning. Irvine came back with three runs in the top of the second to jump out to a 4-1 lead.
The game took a turn in the top half of the fourth inning when Gavin made a spectacular play as a ball was lined back up the middle. Gavin stabbed at the ball as he hit the deck and the ball went in and out of his glove. Gavin then got up in time to throw out the lead runner at second base.
The crowd stood to their feet and let out a cheer in support of Gavin’s defensive efforts.
The Titans would tie the game in the bottom of the fourth inning thanks to a home run by sophomore second baseman Taylor Bryant.
Fullerton scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and never looked back, taking the 7-5 win.
The Titans will next head to Los Angeles to take on USC Tuesday at 6 p.m. They will then travel to Riverside for a weekend series against Big West rivals UC Riverside.