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No. 25/22 USC, No. 2 Cal State Fullerton Splits Doubleheader
April 20, 2005 FULLERTON, Calif. - Dave Pherrin threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief Wednesday to earn his first collegiate victory as the No. 2 Cal State Fullerton Titans defeated the No. 25/22 USC Trojans, 5-3, in the nightcap of a "doubleheader" at Goodwin Field. Both teams resumed a halted game from Feb. 20 in the eighth inning with USC winning that game by an 11-2 score. Cal State Fullerton is now 27-11 on the season while USC is now 24-11 overall with the Trojans taking two of three games in the season series between the two teams. CSF scored five runs off USC starter Michael Friedman in the first two innings during the second game. Trevor Mortensen delivered a bases-loaded, two-run single in the first. In the bottom of the second, second baseman Justin Turner doubled to left center, plating Neil Walton and Bobby Andrews. First baseman Brett Pill followed with an RBI single as the Titans took a 5-0 lead. The Trojans scored three unearned runs in the fourth, all with two outs. Darin Vieira singled to center, scoring Matt Cusick, followed by a fly ball from Hector Estrella behind first base that popped out of Turner's glove to score Baron Frost and Vieira. USC's rally stalled in the fifth and sixth innings when they had a runner picked off at first base, one by Fullerton pitcher Lauren Gagnier and one by Pherrin. A total of three Trojan runners were picked off in the game. Pherrin allowed just two hits while Vinnie Pestano earned his sixth save of the year with 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit with two strikeouts. Sophomore Josh Fogel (Saugus/Saugus HS), who is normally a reserve infielder, made his first collegiate pitching appearance for the Trojans. Fogel pitched two scoreless innings and allowed just one hit with two walks. Freshman right-hander Ryan Schlack (Long Beach/Wilson HS) also made his first collegiate appearance, throwing two perfect innings in relief.
Estrella went 3-for-4 with five RBI during the Feb. 20 game as the Trojans knocked out Fullerton ace Ricky Romero in the seventh. Romero allowed seven runs in 6 2/3 innings on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Estrella hit a two-run double in the fifth and added a three-run homer to left center in the seventh. He added a single today in the eighth for his three-hit performance. Ian Kennedy (6-1) threw eight innings and struck out 10 batters against only one walk. He allowed two runs on six hits, pitching one inning today. Kennedy, who started the game third in the nation with 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings, now has 87 strikeouts on the season in 59 2/3 innings. Cyle Hankerd in the top of the ninth during the resumed game hit his first home run of the season with a three-run shot to left center off Jeff Soulages. -- more -- USC travels to California for a Pac-10 Conference series, starting on Friday (April 22) at 2 p.m. The series continues with a 1 p.m. starts on Saturday (April 23) and Sunday (April 24). All three games will be broadcast live, along with Gametracker live stats, on usctrojans.com. Note: The total time of delay between the halt of the Feb. 20 game and the resumption today was 1,417 hours and 22 minutes.
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