COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Fullerton’s Powell Gets Three-Quarters of Cycle to Help Beat U.S. International

Chris Powell had a double, triple and home run as Cal State Fullerton defeated U.S. International, 12-5, in a nonconference game Wednesday at Amerige Park in Fullerton.

Powell, who grounded out in his final at-bat, drove in two runs for Fullerton. Jason Moler, an Esperanza High graduate, hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Trevor Rush had three hits and three runs batted in for the Titans (28-21), who took a 7-1 lead after three innings.

Brent Deremer (3-3) pitched four innings, giving up four hits and two runs. He struck out two and didn’t walk anyone.

Bill Fitzgerald, a sophomore from Katella, pitched two inning of shutout relief, working out of a one-out, bases-loaded situation in the sixth inning. James Popoff pitched the next two innings, allowing two runs, and Chris Robinson, the Big West Conference pitcher of the week last week, allowed a home run to Mike Murphy in the ninth.

The Titans, who are 10-5 in the conference and tied for second place with Cal State Long Beach, start a three-game series at UC Santa Barbara Friday.

USIU, in its final season of intercollegiate baseball, is 13-37.

In Big West Conference softball:

Cal State Fullerton 3-9, UC Santa Barbara 0-1--Titan sophomore Tiffany Boyd pitched a three-hitter in the first game. Boyd has allowed five hits in her past three games, which included a perfect game against California Saturday. Boyd (31-5) struck out 12 and walked none Wednesday.

Mich DeBree had two hits, including a two-run double in the fifth, and Jill Matyuch had a run-scoring single in the third for Fullerton.

Kellie Newcombe of UC Santa Barbara had two of her team’s hits. Newcombe is a transfer from Orange Coast, where she was the most valuable player in the Orange Empire Conference last season.

Anne Van Dortrecht pitched a one-hitter with 16 strikeouts as Fullerton improved to 49-12-1, 23-7-1 in conference with a 9-1 victory in the second game.

Matyuch had two RBIs, and DeBree, Kim Powers, K.C. Clark, Diana Forman and Jennifer Shuey had an RBI each for the Titans.