//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLRYVOLXX78
Cal State Fullerton entered Sunday night looking to earn their second sweep of the year as they took on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. They were able to do just that, pulling off a 2-1 win courtesy of a walk-off squeeze bunt in the 11th inning.
Junior Grahamm Wiest got the start for the Titans, throwing 10 strong innings. He allowed one run on four hits while striking out seven. His effort was unfortunately not rewarded with a win, as Koby Gauna earned the victory.
“Our guys are doing great, we had a lot of quality at-bats tonight and I think we’re starting to turn it around at the plate,” Wiest said. “There’s a lot of confidence building so we’re going to try and roll it into next week.”
Wiest wore No. 28, which is typically the number worn by Head Coach Rick Vanderhook, as opposed to his traditional No. 12. Vanderhook was placed on administrative leave last week.
“It was kind of a silent protest we want him back,” Wiest said. “It’s taking longer than we thought it would and we just need our coach back.”
The bats remained dormant through the first few innings until sophomore Tanner Pinkston broke the scoreless tie with an RBI double that plated freshman Taylor Bryant. Pinkston continued his hot streak for the Titans, recording an RBI for the third consecutive game.
The Rainbow Warriors countered immediately with a run of their own, courtesy of a run-scoring single from senior Marc Flores in the top of the fourth inning.
Both teams remained quiet at the plate until the bottom of the fifth inning. Back-to-back singles from sophomore Tyler Stieb and Pinkston, followed by defensive indifference, put runners on second and third for junior Matt Chapman. Unfortunately, the Titans were unable to bring any runs across as Chapman struck out looking to end the frame.
The Titans were the beneficiaries of a defensive miscue from Hawaii. A routine grounder to Flores turned into an errant throw to his pitcher covering the bag, allowing for junior Clay Williamson to slide safely into second. Sophomore A.J. Kennedy followed up the mistake with a sacrifice bunt that set the table for Bryant to be the hero of the night.
However, Fullerton’s woes with runners in scoring position continued, as a routine ground ball to third baseman Juliene Jones turned into a 5-2-5-4 double play that caught Bryant out between first and second base after Williamson was thrown out at home.
Despite the lack of offense for the Titans, Wiest continued to dominate the Rainbow Warriors while Hawaii’s pitching staff kept CSUF quiet on offense.
Senior Keegan Dale got the Titans’ offense started in the ninth inning with a rocket single up the middle, which he followed up by stealing second base without a throw. Junior Austin Diemer followed that up with a sacrifice bunt to move Dale over to third base. Williamson stepped up to the plate, but was unable to deliver as he struck out on a fastball that was out of the strike zone. With two outs and the winning run on third, sophomore David Olmedo-Barrera flew out to left field to end the threat and send the Titans to extra innings for the second time in the three-game series.
As well as Wiest pitched for CSUF, Rainbow Warriors reliever Scott Kuzminsky was just as dominant out of the bullpen.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, the Titans were again given an excellent opportunity to pull out the victory, as they loaded up the bases with two outs and Dale back up at the plate. It was more of the same for Fullerton, as Dale grounded out to end yet another scoring opportunity.
Defense continued to hurt CSUF in the 11th inning, as an error from shortstop Timmy Richards put runners on first and second with just one out. The inning ended in another unique manner, as junior Koby Gauna struck out junior Kaeo Aliviado and senior catcher Jared Deacon gunned down the Hawaii runner to end the frame and put the fans on their feet at Goodwin Field.
Diemer got the bottom of the 11th started off on a positive note by getting hit by a pitch and promptly stealing second base. Williamson then moved him over with a beautifully placed sacrifice bunt that set the stage for Deacon to win the game in his first at bat of the night.
The senior leader did just that, laying down a squeeze bunt to bring in Diemer and win the game 2-1.
“Just knowing that Deacon’s going to get the job done, he’s a hard worker so I knew it was gonna happen,” Diemer said.
