Feb. 1, 2003
Fullerton, Calif. - No. 13 Cal State Fullerton (2-0) assured itself of a series victory with its second straight win over No. 3 Stanford (2-2) by a score of 10-2 in a non-conference game played before a crowd of 2825 on Saturday evening at Goodwin Field. Joe Turgeon (4-4, 3 RBI) and Justin Smyers (2-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB) led the Titans offensive attack. Ryan Schreppel (1-0) picked up the victory in his first collegiate start, limiting the Cardinal to a run and five hits over the first 5.0 innings. John Mayberry, Jr. hit his first collegiate home run for the Stanford.
Cal State Fullerton led just 2-1 before breaking the game open with five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Titans manufactured their first run of the frame when Kyle Boyer led off the inning with a base hit, moved to second on a balk, stole third base and scored on a two-out wild pitch by Stanford starter Tim Cunningham, who then allowed a two-out single by Shawn Scobee and hit Ronnie Prettyman before being relieved by Kodiak Quick. Turgeon greeted Quick with an RBI single to score pinch runner Bobby Andrews and Prettyman crossed the plate on a wild by Quick, the third of the game by a Cardinal pitcher. A long two-run homer by Smyers over the centerfield wall capped the Titan rally.
Stanford threatened in the top of the eighth, loading the bases with no outs when Brian Hall doubled, Sam Fuld reached on a bunt single and Carlos Quentin walked to start a rally. But a potentially big inning was quelled when Titan reliever Sean Martin induced Ryan Garko into a bases loaded double play on the first pitch he threw and then struck out Mayberry to end the inning.
Cal State Fullerton added three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to make the final score 10-2. Turgeon had his third consecutive RBI single to score Kurt Suzuki with the first run of the inning before the final two runs scored on a throwing error by Mayberry and when reliever Mark Jecmen hit Shane Costa with the bases loaded to force in the final Titan run.
Fuld (3-4) led the Cardinal offense with the 17th three-hit game of his career, snapping out of an 0-for-14 skid to begin the season. Tobin Swope (2-3) also had a pair of hits for Stanford.
Cunningham (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing five runs and seven hits over the first 5.2 innings. Cunningham did strike out seven hitters, two shy of his career high.
Cal State Fullerton struck first with a run in the bottom of the first inning when Smyers led off the frame with a base hit and moved all the way to third base by stealing a pair of bases before scoring on an RBI groundout by Boyer.
Mayberry tied the game with two outs in the top of the fourth inning when he blasted the first pitch from Schreppel over the left field wall for his first collegiate home run.
Cal State Fullerton regained a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Scobee walked to lead off the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Prettyman and scored on an RBI single by Turgeon.
The loss assured the Cardinal its first non-conference series defeat since dropping two-of-three at Florida State from February 11-13, 2000. Despite the two losses to begin the series, Stanford has lost only four times in its last 16 meetings versus Cal State Fullerton.
Stanford and Cal State Fullerton conclude their three-game series on Sunday (1 pm).