NOTES : They’re Down, but Titans Not Counting Selves Out

Nothing seemed to go right for Cal State Fullerton in Sunday night’s 4-3 College World Series loss to Miami.

The grounders that slipped through infield holes during the South I Region tournament went right at Hurricane players, who turned three double plays. The short game that worked so well in Baton Rouge--the bunts for hits and sacrifice bunts--didn’t work.

Fullerton’s three fastest baserunners--Jeremy Carr, Chris Powell and Dante Powell--who combined to score 16 of the Titans’ 35 runs in the regionals, got on base only five times in 12 plate appearances.

Miami lefty Jeff Alkire thoroughly frustrated the Titans, walking nine but allowing only three hits in seven innings.

The loss dropped Fullerton into the losers’ bracket, where they must beat Florida State and Miami twice to gain a berth in Saturday’s championship game, but the Titans seemed undaunted.

“No one is hanging their heads,” third baseman Phil Nevin said. “It was a tough loss to take. A win would have put us in the driver’s seat. But it just means we can take the field a few more times. I love playing with these guys.”

Zuber zinger: California first baseman Jon Zuber homered during a 5-4 loss to Florida State that eliminated the Bears from the World Series.

Zuber, however, saved his biggest hit for the post-game press conference where he blasted home plate umpire Larry Waggoner.

“I thought he was a farce all day behind the plate,” said Zuber, who was called out on strikes with runners at first and third in the seventh. “He cost us some strikes and he cost them some strikes. To me, he did a sick job back there. He didn’t have a backbone.”

Going homerless: Not only was Matt Luke’s Cal team eliminated Sunday, the junior right fielder left town as the only El Dorado High School graduate without a homer in the College World Series.

Nevin and Oklahoma catcher Kevin Schula, both El Dorado products, hit home runs in first-round games.

Times staff writer Gary Klein contributed to this story.