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Marc Brakeman gave the Stanford baseball team its second straight quality start, but it was not enough as Cal State Fullerton took a 4-2 decision Saturday night at Goodwin Field. The Titans evened the three-game series with the rubber match set for tomorrow at 1 p.m. PT.
Stanford (2-4) attempted an eighth-inning rally, facing a 3-0 deficit, before stranding the tying run at third. Pinch-hitter Beau Branton’s two-strike, two-RBI triple drove in Quinn Brodey and Alex Dunlap to quickly swing the momentum to the Cardinal’s side with no outs. Two strikeouts and a fly out later and Fullerton had held off Stanford’s best opportunity.
Brakeman (0-1) allowed one earned run on four hits in six innings of work. He matched zeroes on the scoreboard with Fullerton until the fifth inning, as the Cardinal bats struggled to string together hits. The Titans broke out in the fifth with three runs on the help of faulty Cardinal defense.
Fullerton (2-4) seven-hole hitter Scott Hurst tripled over the head of right fielder Brodey to get the fateful fifth started. A bobbled ball on a chopper to the drawn in Tommy Edman at shortstop and a throwing error by left fielder Dunlap after a Josh Vargas single led to two Titans’ runs. Stanford brought in the infield again with Vargas at third, but Dustin Vaught’s dribbler to short was too slow to get the runner at home, making the score 3-0.
Stanford managed seven hits against four Fullerton hurlers. Edman had two knocks, including a leadoff single in the first, after breaking up a perfect game bid in the seventh inning and eventually scoring the winning run last night.
Fullerton added another unearned run in the eighth for extra insurance. Catcher Matt Decker misplayed a barehand attempt on a six-foot dribbler off the bat of Jake Jefferies, reliever Brett Hanewich balked, a groundout moved the Jefferies to third and a softly hit bouncer by Tyler Stieb hit the first base bag for an RBI single.
Goodwin Field plays host to the series finale tomorrow. John Hochstatter will face John Gavin in a battle of left-handed starters.
