Posted on: Monday, June 14, 2004

Baldwin alum Suzuki homers in Fullerton win over Tulane

Associated Press

Cal State Fullerton punched out 17 hits yesterday to defeat visiting Tulane, 10-7, to capture an NCAA Division I Super Regional Baseball Championship.

Cal State Fullerton, which has recorded 96 hits and scored 68 runs in seven postseason games, earned a berth for the second year in a row at the College World Series, which begins June 18 in Omaha, Neb.

P.J. Pilittere and Felipe Garcia had three hits, and Baldwin alum Kurt Suzuki blasted a home run to lead the Titans to their 13th College World Series appearance in the school's history.

"There was several calls that could have gone either way, but it was one of those games where we didn't get a break, but that's baseball," said Tulane manager Rick Jones. "I'll be pulling for Fullerton to win the world series."

Ricky Romero (12-4) pitched 8· innings for the win. Vinnie Pestano recorded the final out for his first save of the season. J.R. Crowel (8-3) suffered the loss for the Green Wave.

The Titans (42-21), who beat Tulane 9-0 Saturday in game one, extended their dominance over the Green Wave (41-21) to 8-0 all-time. CSF has won the national championship three times: 1979, 1984 and 1995.

Suzuki's two-run homer, his 16th of the season, gave the Titans a 6-3 lead in the sixth.

"At the beginning of the regionals I was nervous, and I was pressing, but then I relaxed after a couple of games and I'm doing what I know I can do," Suzuki said.

Tulane's Matt Barket and Scott Madden hit solo shots in the sixth and seventh, respectively, to trim the lead to 6-5. CSF added four insurance runs in the ninth. The Green Wave pushed across two in the bottom of the ninth but their comeback feel short.

CSF will open the world series against South Carolina on Saturday.