Titans Hold Off Bruins in Opener

As reported by NCAA.com

By Jonathan Raber
Special to NCAA.com

LOS ANGELES - His two most reliable pitchers have gotten him this far, so Cal State Fullerton coach Dave Serrano was either going to sink or swim with sophomores Noe Ramirez and Nick Ramirez.

The Titans stayed afloat.

Noe Ramirez worked out of a crucial jam in the seventh inning and Nick Ramirez did the same in the ninth as Fullerton fended off a late rally to hold on for a 4-3 victory over sixth-seeded UCLA in the opener of the NCAA Division I baseball Super Regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday night.

"My heart was pumping through my jacket, I think," said Serrano of the tense moments.

There won't be much time for the feeling of relief to settle in with Game 2 of the best-of-three series slated for Saturday at 4 p.m. PDT, to be aired on ESPN. Game 3, if necessary, will be played at 7 p.m. PDT Sunday (ESPN).

When Noe Ramirez (12-1) ran into some trouble in the seventh, loading the bases with no outs, Serrano didn't even consider pulling him in that spot. ...

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