2003 College World Series Game 6
Complete CWS Index

by John Manuel
June 15, 2003

OMAHA--The first nominee for best game of the 2003 College World Series is in the books, and it might be tough to beat.

Cal State Fullerton and Stanford waged a taut struggle in the tradition of their annual rivalry, with the Titans coming out on top 6-5 thanks to key hits and four scoreless innings from its bullpen.

Junior righthanders Wes Littleton (7-3) and Chad Cordero silenced the Cardinal bats down the stretch, holding Stanford hitless while striking out five. Littleton, the one-time No. 1 starter for the Titans, picked up the win in his first outing since May 17. Cordero got his eighth save to push the Titans, who are 43-0 when leading after seven innings this season primarily thanks to Cordero, into a Wednesday bracket championship.

"Cal State Fullerton was just a little better tonight, a little tougher," Stanford coach Mark Marquess said. "Littleton and Cordero were good. Cordero, he's tough. We have charts on him for three years, so (what he did) was no surprise.

"He's the premier closer in all of college baseball. Texas has a pretty good closer (Huston Street); there may be some as good as him. But nobody is better than Chad Cordero."

Cordero's postseason line is astonishing--9 1/3 innings, two hits, 11 strikeouts and one walk. He's 1-0, 0.00 with two saves in six appearances. His work and timely hitting has Fullerton now one win away from a berth in the national championship series, which begins Saturday.

"You saw a microcosm of Stanford versus Cal State Fullerton, where it usually comes down to one great hit or one mistake," Titans coach George Horton said. "In recent years, we have not had great success against them here. I think the early sweep we had against them (Jan. 31-Feb. 2) probably gave our guys a little confidence against them. Maybe our guys in the past have tried too hard not to lose to Stanford here when we've lost two or three to them during the regular season."

Stanford had won 10 straight postseason games against Big West Conference opponents, dating back to a 1998 regional loss to Long Beach State. That string included two wins against Fullerton in the 2001 CWS and a 13-inning win against Fullerton in last year's regional, one of just three losses the Titans have sustained in 121 games over the last three years when leading after seven innings.

This time, the Titans got the key hits. The last one was a seventh-inning triple to right field by Richie Burgos that scored P.J. Pillitere with the winning run, breaking a 5-5 tie. The drive just eluded a leaping try by Stanford right fielder Carlos Quentin, who said the ball caromed off the heel of his glove. Pillitere scored in part because of a hesitation on the relay throw home by Stanford second baseman Jed Lowrie.

"He did hesitate, but I'm not sure he would get him at home," Marquess said. "He might have had a better chance to get him. It might have been close."

Another big hit was the first career home run by freshman shortstop Justin Turner, a two-run shot in the second that gave them an early 3-0 lead.

"I can't remember the last time I hit a home run," said Turner, who had just 10 extra-base hits all season coming in. "It's funny because P.J. and I were talking in the room today, and he said someone on the team was going to hit a home run in the game, and we were going down the roster to figure out who it would be.

"He said, 'Well, there's you. No, it's not going to be you, your thumb's banged up, you're not going to hit one.' Then we thought it would be (Kyle) Boyer, but P.J. said, 'You could do it. You've got the juice.' So it was a little coincidence that I hit it."

Stanford is the team expected to hit for power, and the Cardinal got back into the game early with home runs, hitting three off starter Dustin Miller, who had given up just eight all year. The unexpected factor was who hit the homers. First baseman Brian Hall clubbed a two-run shot off Miller in the third inning, just his sixth of the season. Two batters later, center fielder Sam Fuld went into fourth place on the career CWS hits list with a solo homer to center field, his 19th hit in three trips to Rosenblatt.

Stanford then took the lead in the fourth on Chris Carter's solo homer, his sixth. After the Titans rallied to make it 4-4 in the bottom half on a two-out run-scoring double by Jason Corapci, Stanford regained the lead on Quentin's RBI double. Turner tied it for the Titans with another two-out hit in the bottom of the seventh, scoring Corapci from second. The keystone duo, who battled for the starting second base job in the preseason before Turner moved to short down the stretch, combined for five hits, four RBIs and four runs scored.

Stanford has to regroup for a Tuesday elimination game with South Carolina. Marquess didn't divulge a starter for the game, but said it wasn't because he was trying to be coy. He and pitching coach Tom Kunis will decide from a group that includes seniors Tim Cunningham and Ryan McCally and freshman Kodiak Quick and Matt Manship.