Omaha, Neb. ? It must be the uniform.

That’s one explanation coach George Horton gave for Cal State Fullerton’s staying power in the College World Series.

The Titans came from behind for the second straight game to beat Clemson, 7-6, on Tuesday night. On Sunday, they scored three runs in the ninth inning to beat Georgia Tech.

“There’s one thing about a Titan uniform: I can never remember a Titan quitting,” Horton said. “It’s passed on from generation to generation, team to team.”

Fullerton (50-14) will face North Carolina today and would have to beat the Tar Heels twice to win Bracket 1 and reach the best-of-three championship series this weekend.

David Cooper, the only freshman in the Fullerton lineup, went 5-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, including the go-ahead single in the eighth inning.

Cooper became the 14th player in CWS history and the first since 2001 to have five hits in a game. His second homer of the season brought the Titans within 6-5 in the seventh, and his single with two out in the eighth produced the winning run.

Cal State Fullerton pitcher Wes Roemer yells after striking out Clemson's Ben Hall for the final out. Fullerton won, 7-6, on Tuesday in Omaha, Neb.

“I got some pitches to hit, and they just fell,” Cooper said. “And there were a couple lucky ones.”

The Titans won despite starting pitcher Lauren Gagnier’s worst performance since the season opener against Stanford. Gagnier, who recently suffered from a stomach virus that also affected closer Ryan Paul, allowed hits to six of the first 10 batters he faced and gave up 12 hits and six runs in 62â3 innings.

“It was a frustrating deal for me because I hadn’t been hit that hard all year, as far as hitting barrels of the bat,” Gagnier said. “But the defense picked me up and our offense had some timely spots and we get to play tomorrow.”

Clemson loaded the bases in the seventh but failed to score. Stan Widmann singled and Gagnier hit D.J. Mitchell with a pitch with two out. Adam Jorgenson (2-0) relieved and walked Adrian Casanova, but Herman Demmink grounded out to end the inning.

Tyler Harbin doubled leading off the Clemson ninth for his first hit in 12 CWS at-bats. That brought on Paul, who had arrived at the ballpark in the seventh inning after falling ill Monday night. Paul struck out Andy D’Alessio before being removed by Horton.

“He barely could make it from the bullpen to the mound because of his situation,” Horton said of Paul. “He gave us one out, and it had a big bearing on the game.”

Oregon State 8, Miami 1

Mike Stutes allowed one run in six-plus innings, and Oregon State scored four times in the third inning.

Shea McFeely hit a long home run for Oregon State (46-15), which got its second win in seven CWS games and will play Rice tonight. The Beavers need to beat the Owls twice to advance to the championship series this weekend.

Stutes (8-2) cruised through his first six innings, and had his legs massaged by the team trainer in between trips to the mound to prevent cramping late in the game. He allowed one hit – a single by Eddy Rodriguez in the fifth – before tiring in the seventh.