COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Titan Bats Again Quiet in 5-1 Loss to Pepperdine

Cal State Fullerton, which recently put together a 14-game winning streak, is now on a two-game losing streak and in search of an offense after a 5-1 loss Tuesday at Pepperdine.

Steve Duda (6-3) had a career-high 11 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings against the Titans, who are ranked No. 3 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball. Pepperdine (23-12) is ranked 16th in the poll.

Fullerton (22-9) scored its run in the ninth. Bret Hemphill had an RBI single with two outs and the bases loaded. But reliever Adam Housley got Jim Betzsold to line out to third baseman Mark Wasikowski to end the game. Wasikowski is from Los Alamitos High School and Rancho Santiago College.

Pepperdine scored three runs in the second and single runs in the sixth and eighth.

Robby Welles had an RBI groundout to drive in the first run in the third inning. Keven Dell’Amico and David Lovell had RBI singles later in the inning.

John Sacchi squeezed in a run in the sixth and had an RBI double in the eighth for Pepperdine, which beat Fullerton, 13-3, early this season. The Waves also defeated the Titans last June for the NCAA championship.

Jon Ward, a freshman from Huntington Beach, gave up three hits and three runs, all earned, in five innings to take the loss. Ward, who had four strikeouts and four walks, is 1-3.

Besides being the second consecutive loss for Fullerton, it was also the second straight time the Titans have been held to one run. Fullerton lost to Nevada, 10-1, Sunday.

Fullerton had only six hits, including three by leadoff hitter Jeremy Carr, against Pepperdine.

The Titans start a three-game Big West Conference series Thursday at Las Vegas.

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In another nonconference baseball game:

Christ College Irvine 7, Cal State Dominguez Hills 4--Mike Crumrine had three hits for CCI (10-17-2). The starting pitcher for Cal State Dominguez Hills (22-11), Tom Ball, gave up six runs and seven hits in two-plus innings.

Southern California College 1-9, College of the Ozarks 5-4--Mike Weinstein struck out eight and walked one in the second game to help SCC split a doubleheader.

Ted Wieczorek and Albert Contrera homered in the second game for SCC (17-15). The College of the Ozarks’ record dropped to 16-5.

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In nonconference softball:

Cal State Fullerton 1, Utah 0 (17 innings)--Cheryl Longeway pitched a complete game, allowing only five hits, and scored the winning run for the visiting Titans.