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FULLERTON, Calif. - Dakota Wix was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 14th inning to lift Cal State Fullerton past Indiana, 3-2, Saturday night at Goodwin Field.
In the 14th inning, pinch-hitter Niko Pacheco led off the frame for the Titans (3-2) with a double to left center field and then Hunter Cullen pinch ran. Jerrod Bravo lined a single to center, but Cullen did not advance as he froze on the liner and center fielder Craig Dedelow fielded the ball right off the hop. Tanner Pinkston hit a grounder to the right side to advance the runners into scoring position.
The Hoosiers (1-4) intentionally walked Chris Hudgins to load the bases and then Indiana reliever B.J. Sabol's first pitch drilled Wix to force in the run and give the Titans the victory.
Brett Conine picked up the win for Fullerton, seeing his first action of the season as a reliever in the 13th inning. He surrendered no hits, walked one and struck out three. John Gavin drew the start while Connor Seabold and Chad Hockin each pitched multiple innings of scoreless relief. Seabold fanned seven batters as the four Titans pitchers combined to strikeout 15 batters.
The Titans jumped out in front in the second inning as Hudgins blasted his second home run in as many days, a towering shot that cleared the net and head into the parking lot, putting Fullerton up 1-0.
It stayed that way until the fourth, when Indiana took its first lead of the series. With one out, Luke Miller singled and then Alex Krupa followed with a walk. A groundout to third advanced the runners and then Brian Wilhite cashed them in with a sinking line-drive double to center field, putting the Hoosiers up 2-1.
Indiana pitcher Evan Bell shut down the Titans for the rest of his outing, retiring nine of the last 10 batters he faced. He went seven innings and allowed one earned run on two hits with a walk and six strikeouts.
Jake Kelzer came in to pitch in relief and the Titans caught a couple of breaks in the eighth to tie the score. Dalton Blaser led off with a single up the middle and then Dakota Wix came in to pinch run. He stole second and then catcher Demetrius Webb's throw sailed into right-center. Wix moved over to third but Dedelow tried to nail Wix at third. His throw spiked in front of the third and went into the stands, allowing Wix to score the tying run.
The Titans will look for the sweep on Sunday as freshman and reigning Big West Conference Pitcher of the Week Colton Eastman takes the hill for Fullerton while Caleb Barbagar takes the mound for Indiana.
Notes: Tyler Stieb collected his first hit of the season on Saturday, a single in the 11th inning… The Titans played their first extra-inning game of the season on Saturday. In 2015, Fullerton was 6-4 in extra-inning games… The Titans and Hoosiers have now played two extra-inning games in their five all-time meetings. Indiana defeated Fullerton 5-4 in 10 innings on March 14, 2015, the first game of a doubleheader… The Titans pitching staff struck out 15 batters combined for the first time since they punched out 20 against Arizona State on May 30, 2015 in the Fullerton Regional, another game that went 14 innings… Hudgins homered in consecutive games, marking the first Titans player to do so since Carlos Lopez on May 18-19, 2013 against UC Irvine.
