Dorn Makes It Easy for Fullerton

Harvard pitcher Mike Morgalis could have been excused had he cringed Friday night when Dodger General Manager Paul DePodesta stopped by the Crimson dugout to wish his former team good luck before it played Cal State Fullerton in an NCAA baseball regional.

Seemingly, every starting pitcher DePodesta has been associated with recently has struggled, and the previously unbeaten Morgalis proved no different when he surrendered eight runs in five-plus innings in front of an announced 3,604, the second-largest crowd at Goodwin Field.

Turns out the onslaught was just getting started.

Danny Dorn hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in seven runs for the top-seeded Titans, who got to four pitchers for 19 hits during a 19-0 victory that kicked off their bid for a second consecutive national title on a promising note.

Fullerton (42-15) will play second-seeded Arizona (38-19) in a winner’s bracket game tonight at 8 after sending fourth-seeded Harvard to its sixth consecutive postseason defeat dating to 1998.

Three Harvard errors contributed to a five-run third inning in which Morgalis (5-1) gave up Dorn’s grand slam. Dorn had a two-run homer against Jason Brown in the sixth for his first multi-homer game this season and had a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Brandon Tripp hit a homer in the sixth and Ronnie Prettyman had a two-run homer in the seventh.

Freshman right-hander Wes Roemer (6-3) and two relievers combined on a five-hitter. Roemer, who gave up two hits in seven innings, faced the minimum 18 batters through six innings.

Roemer hit Zak Farkes with a pitch in the first inning but then picked him off. Schuyler Mann broke up Roemer’s no-hit bid in the fifth with a single to right field but was thrown out on a fielder’s choice. Steffan Wilson, who reached later in the inning on a fielder’s choice, was caught stealing to end the inning.

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Arizona 5, Missouri 3 -- Nick Hundley’s two-run double down the left-field line keyed a four-run fourth inning for the Wildcats.

Arizona, which had managed only a walk in the first three innings against right-hander Max Scherzer (9-4), opened the fourth with four consecutive hits.

NCAA REGIONAL SCORES, D8