Cal State Fullerton

IRVINE, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton's season comes to an end after suffering a 5-1 loss to No. 3 seed UC San Diego in an elimination game Friday night in the third game of The Big West Championship. 

The Titans fell short in a pitchers duel where both starters went seven innings. Dylan Smith had another strong start when the Titans needed it, allowing just two runs on five hits in seven plus innings. 

UC San Diego got on the scoreboard first, scoring in the top third inning to take a 1-0 lead. Smith limited the damage to just one run after facing runners on first and second with one out.

Fullerton tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning on a productive fielder's choice by Paul Contreras that scored Cam Burdick from third base. Burdick led-off the inning with a double before scoring the tying run. 

Smith battled and got out of jams multiple times to keep the Titans in the game, none bigger than the sixth inning where he got a 6-4-3 double play to get out of runners on first and third with one out. 

UC San Diego scored three runs in the eighth inning to take a 4-1 lead before adding an insurance run in the ninth to extend the lead to 5-1.