Blunder on bases has USD in a hole

By: MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer | Friday, June 2, 2006 11:33 PM PDT ∞

FULLERTON ---- The fake toward third and throw back to first is a baseball play that seldom works. Even pitchers and coaches don't expect the pickoff move to translate into an out.

Yet one of those rare occasions where the runner is caught napping happened Friday ---- at the worst possible time for the University of San Diego and the most improbable moment for Fresno State.

Former Rancho Bernardo High standout Brandon Burke executed the play perfectly and picked off USD's David Harris for the game-ending out as the Bulldogs defeated the Toreros 9-8 in the opening round of the NCAA baseball regionals before 1,893 at Goodwin Field on the Cal State Fullerton campus.

The loss places USD in the loser's bracket of the double-elimination regional. The Toreros (32-24) play today at 4:05 p.m. against Saint Louis (32-28), which lost 6-1 to Cal State Fullerton (44-13) on Friday night.

"It's shocking any time you lose like that," USD junior shortstop Steve Singleton said.

"It hurts because you're so high and then you go so low."

The game-ending play occurred after USD had pushed across three runs in the top of the ninth and had the tying run on third and the potential go-ahead run on first. Burke, a sophomore right-hander, had entered the game one hitter earlier and struck out USD clean-up hitter Jordan Abruzzo for the second out.

Ryan Lilly then stepped into the batter's box as Burke worked from the stretch. Burke faked toward third base and then wheeled toward first. Harris had taken a step toward second base and Burke's on-the-money throw easily retired the USD freshman.

The Toreros were stunned to lose in such a fashion. Burke and the 19th-ranked Bulldogs (44-16) were astonished by the manner in which they recorded their 16th consecutive win.

"I was just going to read him," said Burke, who earned his fifth save of the season. "I wasn't going to throw the ball initially but I saw him caught up between his feet so I just threw it."

Fresno State coach Mike Batesole said the Bulldogs called the play just to ensure Harris wouldn't stray too far off the base. Batesole simply didn't want the go-ahead run to score from first on a double.

"You're just trying to keep him a step closer and it just happened to work this time," Batesole said.

Up until the final out, Fresno State's power was the difference in the game. The Bulldogs hit five home runs to account for eight of their runs. Junior center fielder Nick Moresi hit two homers, and it was his three-run shot in the seventh that gave Fresno State a 9-5 cushion.

Three Fresno State homers off USD junior right-hander Josh Butler led to the Bulldogs taking a 4-0 lead through four innings. But the Toreros scored five times in the top of the fifth with the big blows being a two-run homer by freshman left fielder Josh Romanski and a two-run single by Abruzzo.

USD was held scoreless the next three innings before the ninth-inning uprising. Now the Toreros find themselves needing to bounce back quickly to keep their season from ending today.

"We've experienced some heartbreaking, gut-wrenching defeats, last inning type of stuff and losing leads," said USD coach Rich Hill, "so if there's any team in America that's used to bouncing back from real emotional losses, it's this team."

Junior Keoni Ruth, USD's first-team All-West Coast Conference second baseman, had to leave the game in the sixth inning after injuring his left shoulder while making a diving stop. His availability for today's game is unknown.

Contact staff writer Mike Sullivan at (760) 739-6645 or msullivan@nctimes.com.