GAME RECAP: Cal State Fullerton Takes Series with 6-2 Victory Over Long Beach State

LONG BEACH, CA – The Cal State Fullerton Titans bounced back from a tough Saturday night loss to claim the weekend series over the Long Beach State Dirtbags with a 6-2 victory Sunday afternoon at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.

Dylan Smith delivered a masterful performance on the hill for the Titans (17-17, 11-7 Big West), tossing eight scoreless innings of four-hit ball while striking out four and walking just one. The right-hander earned his second win of the season (2-3) and set the tone for a complete-team effort that improved Fullerton to 2-1 in the series.

After dropping Friday’s opener 10-0 and falling 4-3 on Saturday, the Titans responded with timely hitting, patient at-bats, and airtight defense to secure the series-clinching win.

Fullerton got on the board in the second inning and never looked back. Ty Thomas led off with a double and later scored on Niko Lombardi’s RBI single to left. Andrew Kirchner, who reached base four times via walks, advanced to second and scored on Hunter Meyer’s sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

The Titans added to their lead in the fourth when Cade O’Hara’s sacrifice fly plated Kirchner for a 3-0 advantage. In the fifth, Thomas delivered again with an RBI double that scored Paul Contreras and pushed the margin to 4-0.

Fullerton put the game away in the eighth. After Cam Burdick pinch-ran and stole a base, Eli Lopez dropped down a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt that scored both O’Hara and Burdick, extending the lead to 6-0.

Long Beach State (11-23, 6-12 Big West) finally got on the board in the ninth against reliever Joseph Jasso. Kaiden Smaka singled and Dylan Lina followed with a two-run homer to deep left field, accounting for the Dirtbags’ only runs of the afternoon.

Offensively, the Titans manufactured runs with just six hits but drew nine walks and benefited from three Long Beach State errors. Thomas paced the offense with a 3-for-5 day, including a double and an RBI. Kirchner reached base five times (1-for-1, four walks) and scored twice. Lopez added two RBI on the sac bunt, while Lombardi and O’Hara each drove in a run.

For Long Beach State, Lina finished 2-for-4 with the two-run homer and two RBI. Smaka also had two hits. Starter Jason Gerfers (2-4) took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits over six innings.

The victory gives Fullerton a crucial Big West series win on the road and keeps their conference hopes alive as they continue their push through the second half of the season. The Dirtbags dropped their third straight series and will look to regroup in upcoming conference play.