May 3, 2008

Box Score

Santa Barbara, Calif. - Mario Hollands four-hit No. 12 Cal State Fullerton Saturday afternoon and Shane Carlson went 5-for-5 and drove in four as UC Santa Barbara upset the Titans 10-2 in Big West Conference play at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

Fullerton fell to 3-8 on Saturdays and dropped their overall record to 28-16. The Titans still hold on to first place in the Big West by a game an a half as second place Long Beach State fell to UC Davis. The Titans are now 12-5 in league play. UC Santa Barbara, improves to 30-15 overall and 9-5 in conference, also moving back into a tie for second.

Hollands (6-2) held the Titans to a season-low four hits in the complete game effort, allowing just two runs while striking out five. Gary Brown's solo home run in the second accounted for one run, while an RBI-single by Erik Komatsu in the fourth accounted for the other. Komatsu had two of the four Titan hits.

Daniel Renken (4-4) suffered the loss, working a season-low 3.2 innings, while giving up eight runs on nine hits. Just three of the runs on the afternoon were earned as errors by Christian Colon and Gary Brown with two outs led to five unearned runs.

The Gauchos scored three times in the first off Renken as they sent eight men to the plate. RBI-singles by Carlson and Patrick Rose plated the first two runs, while a balk by Renken with runners at the corners brought home the third.

A four-run bottom of the second gave Santa Barbara a commanding 7-1 lead, all four coming across with two outs after Colon's fielding error off a very unforgiving infield. Following the miscue, Renken walked Eric Oliver, surrendered a single to Mike Zuanich then served up the big blow, a three-run homer off the bat of Carlson, his second hit of the afternoon.

The Titan right-hander held the Gauchos scoreless in the third, but surrendered another unearned run in the fourth. With two down, and Carlson (aboard on a single) running on the pitch, Rose doubled to left, sending Carlson to third. Brown, the left-fielder was unable to get a handle on the ball fumbling it twice, allowing Carlson to score all the way from first.

Travis Kelly was called from the pen, and he tossed 3.2 innings of two-hit relief before Oliver blasted the Gaucho's second round-tripper of the day, and the first-baseman's fourth of the year. Brian Wilson replaced Kelly for the final two outs of the eighth, but not before he surrendered a run courtesy of aJohn DeAlba sacrifice fly for the tenth run of the day.

The Gauchos out-hit the Titans 14-4, with Carlson's five hits leading all players. Rose (3) and Oliver (2) combined for five hits between them in support of the UCSB shortstop. Komatsu had two of the Titans' hits, with Colon and Brown tacking on the other two.

The rubber game of the three-game set will begin tomorrow at 1 p.m. Cory Arbiso (8-2) will be on the mound for Fullerton. He will face Chuck Huggins (7-1) at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium in the series finale.