Titans return favor

Barry Faulkner

The fortunes of the UC Irvine baseball team took a turn for the worse

on a pair of early turns at second base Saturday night at No.

2-ranked Cal State Fullerton.

The initial would-be turn -- the middle throw and catch on a

double-play attempt -- was mismanaged by the Anteaters to help the

Titans score two first-inning runs.

The second, deftly executed by the defending national champions,

ended a third-inning threat by the Anteaters, who dropped a 6-1 Big

West Conference decision to even the three-game series that concludes

today at 1 p.m.

With runners at first and third and one out in the Fullerton

first, Brett Pill grounded sharply to UCI third baseman Matt

Anderson. Anderson fielded cleanly and threw to second baseman Brett

Dalton, who caught the chest-high throw on the second-base bag for

the force. But Dalton bobbled the exchange from his glove to his

throwing hand, halting the would-be twin killing, allowing one run to

score and setting the stage for a second to score on Ron Prettyman’s

subsequent double.

With Anteaters on the corners and one out in the third, Prettyman

scooped up a slow roller and threw quickly to second baseman Justin

Turner at second. Turner nimbly made the turn to first to complete

the double play.

“I told my team that the key may have been our inability to turn

that routine double play, then them turning it on a tough play,” UCI

Coach Dave Serrano said.

Fullerton (19-7, 1-1 in conference), which managed only four hits

in Friday’s opener, expanded the early advantage with a four-run

third, highlighted by a three-run home run by junior right fielder

Sergio Pedroza. Pedroza’s blast, which landed midway up a tree beyond

the 385-foot power alley in right center, was his eighth dinger of

the season.

The Anteaters (14-12, 1-1) were stymied by freshman right-hander

Wes Roemer, making only his second collegiate start and filling in

for junior Ryan Schreppel, who had been 4-0 in seven starts, but

underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Friday.

Roemer, who entered with a 2.37 ERA in 19 innings, yielded just

three hits over eight innings, before surrendering three more to load

the bases in the ninth, prompting a relief appearance by Vinnie

Pestano. Roemer struck out six, walked none, and allowed only one

runner past second base until the ninth.

UCI starter Justin Cassel surrendered 10 hits in a complete-game

effort that drew praise from both Serrano and Fullerton head man

George Horton.

Anderson paced the UCI offense, going 3 for 3, including an

infield hit that was the second of thee straight Anteater singles to

open the ninth.

Danny McCarthy singled in the only UCI run with one out in the

ninth, creating what Serrano believes could be a little momentum for

the ‘Eaters’ attempt to win today and claim their first series

triumph against the Titans since 1985.

Big West Conference

Cal State Fullerton 6,

UC Irvine 4

Score by Innings

*--*

UCI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 1 7 1

CSF 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 x - 6 10 0

*--*

Cassel and Wagner; Roemer, Pestano (9) and Curtis. W - Roemer,

1-1. L - Cassel, 3-2. 2B - Prettyman (CSF), Davis (CSF), Anderson

(UCI), Mortensen (CSF). 3B - Davis (CSF) 2. HR - Pedroza (CSF).