FULLERTON, Calif. (Interstat) — Mikiah Negrete delivered a dominant seven-inning start and the Cal State Fullerton offense erupted for six runs in the third inning Thursday afternoon, powering the Titans to a 9-1 victory over the UC Riverside Highlanders in the opener of a Big West Conference series at Goodwin Field.

The Titans, who entered the game with a 12-14 overall record, improved to 13-14 and evened their conference mark. The struggling Highlanders dropped their fourth straight game, falling to 8-20 overall.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the bottom of the third inning, turning a tight contest into a rout. With the score tied 1-1, Fullerton capitalized on a crucial UC Riverside error to ignite its offense. After Brady Dobson reached on a fielding error by shortstop Robert Pitts, a single and a bunt single loaded the bases with no outs. Paul Contreras then laced a two-run single to left-center, scoring Dobson and Hunter Meyer. Two batters later, Ty Thomas launched a three-run homer over the left-field fence, scoring Contreras and Nate Miller. The six-run outburst gave the Titans a commanding 6-1 lead they would not relinquish.

Negrete, the top star for Fullerton, was the story on the mound. The right-hander stifled the Highlanders’ lineup, scattering five hits over seven strong innings while allowing no earned runs. He struck out six and walked none, efficiently navigating the Highlanders’ order to earn the win. His performance was backed by a perfect two-inning, four-strikeout relief appearance from Brock Mayer.

UC Riverside’s lone run came in the first inning without the benefit of a hit. After Pitts popped out on a bunt attempt, Lucas Bonham doubled to right-center. He later scored on a throwing error by Titans pitcher Joshua Torres during Evan Hall’s at-bat in the fourth inning. Bonham was a bright spot for the Highlanders, going 2-for-4.

The Titans’ offense produced 10 hits, with Contreras leading the way. The right fielder went 2-for-4 with a home run, a single and three RBIs. His solo shot to left-center in the first inning had initially answered UC Riverside’s early run. Thomas finished with three RBIs on his pivotal home run, and Eli Lopez added an RBI double.

For UC Riverside, a quartet of relievers — Jack Becker, Adrian Blanchet, Danny Hernandez and the starter Torres — combined for 7 2/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit ball after the third-inning explosion. However, the damage from Torres’ rough outing, in which he was charged with six runs over 4 1/3 innings, was too much to overcome.

The victory defied the pregame projection from Interstat, which had simulated a narrow 5-4 Titans win and gave Fullerton an 80.7% probability of victory based on its ELO rating system. The Titans’ offensive output far exceeded that expectation.

Cal State Fullerton looks to secure the series win when the teams meet again Friday afternoon. UC Riverside will aim to even the series.