IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine slugged it out for 11 innings trying to salvage a win in the weekend series, but Cal State Fullerton would not let them by taking the game, 7-6, to complete the sweep Sunday afternoon at Anteater Ballpark.

Cal State Fullerton (22-20, 9-3) got the first two runners on in the top of the 11th before Sean Sparling induced a pair of flyouts. After loading the bases on an intentional walk, CSF went to pinch-hitter Ryan Williams who fluttered a single into center field to score the go-ahead run. Mikey Filia fired a dart to home plate to stop a second runner from scoring to keep it a 7-6 deficit heading into the bottom half of the inning.

The Anteaters (25-17, 8-7) got two runners on from an infield single and hit by pitch, but Titan closer Brett Conine locked down the victory striking Christian Koss looking on a 3-2 pitch to end it.

The game see-sawed back and forth with each team leading at one point in regulation. CSF took the early edge scoring on two first-inning hits to make it 1-0, and adding a second run in the fourth thanks to three seeing-eye singles to make it a 2-0 ballgame.

The 'Eaters, who had been no-hit the first time through the order, managed a pair of soft singles bringing up Cole Kreuter who lofted a ball high and deep to left field and just out over the fence to grab the lead right out of Fullerton's hands, 3-2.

The Titans answered with three runs in the sixth inning getting to reliever Nick Anderson as one-out singles from Jairus Richards, scoring one, and Brett Borgogno, scoring two, gave CSF the 5-3 lead. After the Anteaters couldn't score with runners on in the bottom of the inning, Ruben Cardenas made them pay with a solo home run to start the seventh stretching the lead to 6-3, Titans.

UC Irvine wasn't done getting some clutch hits in the bottom of the seventh to knockout CSF starter Andrew Quezada, and capitalizing on them scoring twice on a wild pitch and groundout to draw CSF to within 6-5.

Cole Kreuter returned with his power stroke in the eighth launching a two-out home run for his second of the game tying things at 6-6 and eventually forcing it to extra innings.

The Anteaters had no answer for Brett Conine who took home his second win of the weekend with 3.1 scoreless innings. He, Dillon Brown, and Blake Workman kept the Anteater offense to a minimum in five innings of combined bullpen work tagging onto Quezada's nine strikeouts to K 15 Anteaters on the day.

UCI starter Trenton Denholm worked into the sixth inning striking out four. Sparling was left with the loss, his first on the season, allowing the single run in three innings.

Home run hitters Kreuter and Cardenas each had three hits for their respective teams. Cardenas finished with a pair of RBI reaching base five times in all. Kreuter produced his first career two-HR game, the 35th in program history, driving in four of the Anteater runs. The last Anteater to hit two in a game was Keston Hiura back in 2016 at LMU. Kreuter's two-homer game at Anteater Ballpark is the first since 2015 when Cameron Bishop did it against San Jose State

The sweep is the first the Anteaters have suffered on the year. After nine weekend series without a sweep, UCI has now been a part of two straight after sweeping CSUN on the road last weekend.

The loss knocks UCI down to 8-7 in a tie for second in the conference, four losses behind the Titans. UC Irvine ventures back onto the non-conference trail in the coming week with a home midweek matchup with No. 9 UCLA, Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., before welcoming Oregon for a weekend series in Anteater Ballpark.