In a matchup between two top-25 teams, No.7 Cal State Fullerton took down No.12 Arizona in a 4-0 win Wednesday night at Goodwin Field.
“I think we did all right,” said Titans Head Coach Rick Vanderhook. “I thought we ran the bases super good. I thought we took advantage of them overplaying the running game.”
The Titans got off to a slow start with no score and two errors going into the bottom of the third. However, catcher Chris Hudgins got things going with a deep double to center field.
In that same inning with runners on first and third, Timmy Richards smacked a base hit in the gap between second and third base, bringing Hudgins home and putting the Titans up 1-0.
Right fielder Hunter Cullen helped extend Fullerton’s lead in the fourth to 2-0 on a RBI single to left field.
In the fourth inning, the Titans made a pitching change and swapped out Dillon Brown for Maxwell Gibbs, who made a short appearance before exiting the game in the sixth inning after throwing a wild pitch which advanced runner Kyle Lewis to second base.
Blake Workman took over on the mound for Gibbs in the top of the fourth, making quick work of the Wildcats with a 1-2-3 inning and continued to hold Arizona scoreless through the eighth inning. In three innings of work, Workman struck out five batters and gave up one hit.
Gibbs recorded the win over Arizona with a no-hit performance and two strikeouts in two innings, giving him a record of 1-1 for the season. Fullerton arms gave up a total of three hits to a talented Wildcat offense.
In the bottom of the seventh, Dillon Persinger tagged up and scored off of an infield fly ball hit by Scott Hurst who has eight RBIs, ranking him second on the Titans.
Hudgins was hit by pitcher Tyler Megill in the bottom of the eighth and later brought in the last run of the night thanks to a Cullen single for his second RBI of the game to lock up the final score.
“I got hit a little bit, but I’m good now,” Hudgins said. “It’s still the same game whether you’re hurt or not. Fake it ‘til you make it.’”
Hudgins was the most consistent Titan in the box Wednesday, going 2-2 at the plate.
Brett Conine was the last to pitch for the Titans. Gibbs was the only pitcher to not give up a hit.
“We’ve been working really hard as a staff lately so it just feels good to get everyone out there,” Gibbs said. “It felt really good to get out there for two (innings) and work on everything I’ve been working on.”
The Titans return to Goodwin Field this weekend to face New Mexico in a series starting Friday at 7 p.m.
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