The Titans struggled at the plate against USC, as they recorded just five hits collectively. Junior shortstop Timmy Richards had a difficult time as well, as he remained hitless against the Trojans.
(Patrick Do / Daily Titan Stock Photo)
The Cal State Fullerton baseball team suffered yet another defeat, this time to the USC Trojans 3-2 at the legendary Dedeaux Field on Monday.
CSUF (11-9 overall) dropped its third game in a row as its batters struggled to drive in many runs with runners in scoring position. USC (10-9 overall) put itself in the opposite direction, securing its third consecutive victory.
Fullerton came into Monday’s matchup having dropped two out of three contests to the University of Maryland Terrapins at Goodwin Field. As a whole, CSUF’s offense took a step back this past weekend as they were outscored 11-7.
The Titans’ lone win in the series came off the bat of a Timmy Richards walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning of Friday’s 3-2 win.
Against USC, sophomore lefty John Gavin got the start for the Titans. He entered Monday’s game with a 1-1 overall record and a respectable 3.20 ERA.
Freshman pitcher CJ Stubbs, who entered the game with an impressive 1.64 ERA in four appearances, got the nod on the mound for the Trojans.
USC got off to a solid start behind the plate as senior outfielder Timmy Robinson blasted a solo home run to left-center in the bottom of the second inning to give the Trojans an early 1-0 lead.
Stubbs also got off to a good start, as he allowed just one hit and struck out two Titan batters through the first three frames.
The Trojans’ redshirt junior infielder Reggie Southall tallied a run in the bottom of the fifth with a single to left center, driving in infielder Adalberto Carrillo. Fullerton trailed 2-0 after five innings, with its bats showing little to no life through the first half of the game.
CSUF got its first golden opportunity to score in the top half of the seventh as the Titans loaded the bases with only one out. They brought two runners home in the inning to tie the game off an RBI walk by freshman outfielder Ruben Cardenas and an RBI single off the bat of senior designated hitter Dalton Blaser.
However, USC responded in the bottom of the eighth as junior outfielder Corey Dempster blasted a solo shot to left, giving the Trojans a late 3-2 lead. They went on to win the game.
Fullerton junior Miles Chambers suffered the loss. He pitched two innings and struck out four batters, but gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth to secure the win for the Trojans.
Although he left the game with a no decision, Gavin produced another solid outing on the bump for the Titans, as he pitched six innings, gave up one earned run and four hits and struck out three batters.
Senior outfielder Tyler Stieb contributed a solid performance in the batter’s box, going two for four in the loss.
Fullerton returns home to Goodwin Field from Thursday through Saturday as it takes on the archrival Long Beach State Dirtbags in a nonconference series matchup.