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Oaks Silences
Bulldog Bats in 1-0 Victory May 17, 2002 – Fresno, Calif. Box Score Cal State Fullerton junior pitcher Gina Oaks scattered five hits and Yasmin Mossadeghi’s RBI single in the first inning stood up as the Titans defeated the host Fresno State Bulldogs, 1-0, at Bulldog Diamond in Fresno, Calif. Cal State Fullerton is 52-11 overall and advances in the winners bracket to face undefeated California at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Fresno State fell to 50-20 overall and was eliminated from regional play. The Titans have won their last 11 consecutive contests and 43 of their last 45 games. Oaks (21-3) pitched a gem of a game, throwing her 19th complete game of the season and tossing her ninth shutout of the year. She also struck out four Bulldog batters and stranded five runners on base. Jamie Southern (32-10) allowed the lone run on nine hits, walking two and striking out six. The Titans got on the scoreboard first in the opening frame and it turned out to be the only run Oaks would need as Fresno State ace Jamie Southern walked Jenny Topping and gave up a single to Monica Lucatero to put runners on first and second. Senior Yasmin Mossadeghi then blooped a single into short left center to bring Topping home and give Fullerton a 1-0 lead. Fullerton had its chances to break things wide open, stranding eight runners through the first four innings, including leaving the bases-loaded in the fourth with two outs thanks to three consecutive hits, but Southern struck out Topping to end the threat and preserve the one-run deficit. Oaks had set down nine consecutive batters until a single to centerfield by Lindsay Fossatti in the sixth snapped that streak. She was followed by Southern who lined a shot down the left field line to put a runner at second base for the first time on the night. However, Oaks induced Lori Hoffman to ground out to third base to end the threat. The Titan defense spearheaded by Oaks then set the side down in order, including striking out pinch hitter Lashme Gomez looking in the seventh to end the game and eliminate the Bulldogs from regional play. Mossadeghi and Jodie Cox each had two hits on the night, with four other Titans adding base knocks. Second baseman Pam Perez led Fresno State with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate. POST GAME QUOTES Head Coach Michelle Gromacki "I’m really happy. That pitcher (Fresno State’s Jamie Southern) on the mound is an All-American pitcher and to get nine hits off her is a battle. I’m real proud of our team because one of the things Fresno State does well, besides pitch, is put the ball in play. It’s no joke to really say that defense wins ball games and our defense has been playing well . Our offense did well today, even though it was for only one run, and Gina (Oaks) did a good job. As long as our pitchers keep giving us the opportunity to win the ball game, we’ll score a run and play good defense and make it stand up." (About pitching Oaks for a third time against Fresno State) "I knew that we didn’t face Jamie Southern because of this reason right here (facing her in the regionals). This year has been about our team and it doesn’t matter who shows up to play against us, we care about us, we’ve been playing Titan softball, and we don’t play any different just because of who we are playing against. I didn’t care that Gina threw against them three times, just as long as we played our game." (On jumping out to the quick lead) "I think there always a little bit of relief scoring first. I have no problems being the visiting team. Sometimes, if there is a coin flip, I’ll call visitors. We have such a powerful lineup that if we don’t score in the first inning, we have a few people hitting the ball around and that sets a good tone whether you score or not." Junior pitcher Gina Oaks "I basically came at them with the same game plan (as the other two games). Fresno State is an awesome team and it seems like whenever we play against them it is always a battle. Me and ‘JT’ (Titan catcher Jenny Topping) were on the same page, hitting the corners, knowing that we can’t miss on a pitch or they are going to take advantage of those." Senior outfielder Yasmin Mossadeghi (On the game-winning hit) "I did get jammed on the pitch. Luckily, though, even if I get jammed I am strong enough to push the ball out there and the ball just dropped in really well." ####
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