Final Stats

Photo Gallery

STARKVILLE -- In a game that started Friday and ended on Saturday morning, Cal State Fullerton used four pitchers in a combined two-hitter and edged Louisiana Tech 1-0 in the Starkville Regional at Dudy Noble Field.

Freshman Ruben Cardenas drove in the only run of the game with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the eighth inning to snap a scoreless tie and send the Titans (36-21) into Saturday night's match-up against top seed Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs (40-19) will turn around and play Southeast Missouri State (39-20) in an elimination game at 1:30 p.m. today. The game can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network.

Tech and Cal State Fullerton started the game Friday night at 6:30 p.m. and endured a 1 hour, 55 minute rain delay. The two teams received solid pitching as Bulldog starter Phillip Diehl and Titan starter Blake Quinn both tossed scoreless frame after scoreless frame.

Diehl recorded a career-high tying nine strikeouts before being lifted with one out and a runner on third in the bottom of the sixth. Reliever Nate Harris came on in relief and recorded two strikeouts to get out of the jam and keep the game scoreless.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, another cell of thunderstorms hit the Starkville area and the game was suspended with both teams returning Saturday morning for a 10 a.m. start time.

Harris returned to the mound for the Bulldogs but was greeted by a double by Chris Hudgins, prompting Tech to bring in closer Adam Atkins. The move worked as Atkins got out of the jam, stranding Hudgins on second base.

Offensively, the hot-hitting Tech bats were held silent for all nine innings. The Bulldogs recorded just two hits -- a two-out single by Cody Daigle in the top of the second and a single by Jonathan Washam in the fourth -- an inning that saw Tech load the bases but fail to score as Washam was thrown out trying to steal home.

Cal State Fullerton, a program that has made 25 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and advanced to the College World Series as recently as last year, finally broke through in the eighth inning.

Josh Vargas led off with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. After a groundout to shortstop that moved Vargas to third base, Tech intentionally walked Dalton Blaser. Atkins then hit Jerrod Bravo to load the bases with one out, setting the stage for Cardenas' RBI groundout in the hole to shortstop.

Washam and Chase Lunceford were both retired to start the top of the ninth before Raphael Gladu reached on what was rule a throwing error by the Titans shortstop. With the tying run on first, Daigle grounded out to shortstop for the final out.