FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton pulled away late to defeat CSU Bakersfield 6-1 Saturday evening at Goodwin Field. The Titans improve to 13-13 on the year and 6-5 in conference play with the win.
The Titans have been rolling as of late, riding an eight-game winning streak going back to Mar. 16. Fullerton ties its longest winning streak since 2018 with Saturday's win.
Fullerton has flipped the first inning script in this series, scoring two runs in each of the first two games. Carter Johnstone led-off the game with a solo home run to right field for his third home run of the season.
Maddox Latta was then hit by a pitch to reach first before stealing second base to give the Titans a runner in scoring position. Andrew Kirchner came through with an RBI single to center field to bring home Latta and put the Titans up 2-0.
Bakersfield scored one run in the third inning to cut the Titans lead to 2-1.
Dylan Smith earned his first collegiate win after giving up just one run on two hits in five innings pitched. The freshman has given up just two runs over his last 16.1 innings pitched and five appearances.
The Titans regained a two-run lead (3-1) in the fifth inning, scoring one run on a Matthew Bardowell RBI single to score Kirchner. Bardowell went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI. The senior is second on the team with a .379 batting average.
Bakersfield looked to mount a comeback in the seventh inning, loading the bases with just one out while trailing 3-1. However, Andrew Wright entered the game in relief and shut the door on the Roadrunners to keep Fullerton's lead intact.
The Titans pulled away in the eighth inning, scoring three runs to take a 6-1 lead. Following a leadoff hit by pitch that put Marcos Rosales at first base, Cam Burdick hit a run-scoring triple to the gap in right center field to extend the lead to 4-1.
With Burdick at third and one out, Johnstone hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the run and put the Titans up 5-1. The Titans put together a two-out rally to load the bases before Max Ortega was hit by a pitch to drive in the third run of the inning and push the lead to 6-1.
The senior, Latta, improved his batting average to .406 on the season after going 2-for-3 with two runs and a walk. Latta's .406 average ranks second in The Big West.
Wright closed out the game to earn his third save of the season. The southpaw pitched the final 2.2 innings and allowed just two hits while striking out a career-high five batters.
The Titans look to close out the series Sunday afternoon with a sweep at Goodwin Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
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