2003 NCAA Regional Highlights - Day Two May 16, 2003 – Fullerton, Calif.
Penn State 7, Boston University 0 (Boston Univ. Eliminated) Penn State's Barbie Pierce set a school record with three doubles
on the day and drove in a pair as the NIttany Lions staved off elimination
with a 7-0 victory over Boston University on Friday morning at the 2003
NCAA Regional Softball Championships.
PSU improved to 31-22 and will face the loser of the Cal State Fullerton/Louisiana-Lafayette
match-up on Friday night at 7 p.m. PDT. The Terriers finished their season
at 33-23.
Shana Riggleman (12-3) earned the victory for the Nittany Lions, scattering
six hits and striking out three runs in the complete-game effort. Tiffany
Finateri (7-8) suffered the loss for Boston University, allowing five
runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings pitched. Julie Henneke pitched the
final 3 1/3 innings, allowing a pair of runs on six hits.
The Terriers were led by Henneke and Erin McDonald, who were both 2-for-3
on the day. Four Penn State players had multiple hits on the day, led
by Pierce's 3-for-4 effort.
Penn State Head Coach Robin Petrini:
"It was a great win. We hit the ball well throughout the lineup.
Shana (Riggleman) pitched a good game, spreading out hits and not allowing
them to score."
"Barbie (Pierce) came up big for us with her three doubles and two
RBI. It was great to see her hit the ball well today."
Boston University Head Coach Amy Hayes:
"We won't earn any respect until we can put two good games together.
We played a good game against Oklahoma State and couldn't do it again
against Penn State."
Louisiana-Lafayette 1, Cal State Fullerton 0 Louisiana-Lafayette scored the lone run of the contest on an
error in the second inning and starter Brooke Mitchell allowed only two
hits while striking out 12 as the Ragin' Cajuns moved on in the winners
bracket with a 1-0 victory on Friday afternoon at the Titan Softball Complex.
The Titans fall to 40-14 overall and move into the losers bracket to face
Penn State at 7 p.m. PDT. ULL improved to 45-8 overall and will meet the
winner of the Oregon-Oklahoma State contest on Saturday afternoon at 1:30
p.m. PDT.
Louisiana-Lafayette scored on an error by the Cal State Fullerton left
fielder which would have ended the inning. Summar Lapeyrouse lifted a
fly ball down the left field line which was misplayed and fell into fair
territory by mere inches, allowing Brittany Bryant to scamper home for
the 1-0 lead.
That would be all Mitchell (24-6) would need, allowing just a pair of
hits on the day. She retired 15 consecutive batters at one point en route
to the win. Oaks (19-7) was the hard-luck loser despite allowing just
two hits and striking out 12.
The loss snapped the Titans' 11-game winning streak and marked the seventh
time Fullerton has been involved in a 1-0 game this season, posting a
2-5 record in those contests.
Louisiana-Lafayette Head Coach Stefni Lotief
"I guess the biggest thing is just 'Wow.'" I think that was
an awesome game played well by both teams. An inch here, an inch there;
this is a game of inches and thank god today the inches went our way."
Cal State Fullerton Head Coach Michelle Gromacki
"Well, we lost the battle, but we haven't lost the war yet"
"I think Gina (Oaks) pitched a good enough game for that ball game
to have been won. You have to score to win obviously and we didn't do
that. You can lose a small battle, but good teams find a way to keep coming
back and all it means right now to us is we've got to play an extra ball
game."
Cal State Fullerton Pitcher Gina Oaks
"We just weren't making any adjustments on her (Louisiana-Lafayette
pitcher Brooke Mitchell) riseball and either we were laying off of it
because we thought it was going to be high but then it would go low and
in for a strike. Then we'd be down in the count and then she'd give us
that high one and we would go after it."
Oklahoma State 2, Oregon 1 Oklahoma State's Stephanie Nicholson slammed her fifth home run
of the season and Cowgirls' starter Lauren Bay squashed a late Oregon
rally, leaving the bases loaded in the seventh, as OSU remained undefeated
in regional play with a 2-1 victory over the Ducks on Friday afternoon
at the Titan Softball Complex.
Oklahoma State improved to 39-13 overall and will meet Louisiana-Lafayette
on Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. The Ducks will face San Diego State
in an elimination game on Friday afternoon at approximately 4:30 p.m.
Oregon got on the board first in the opening inning, scoring a run on
an RBI single by Alyssa Laux, plating Amber Hutchison for the 1-0 lead.
OSU evened the score in the third when Megan Carey singled up the middle
to score Jade Lindly. That set the stage for Nicholson, who sent a pitch
from Ducks starter Amy Harris (15-13) deep to center to snap the tie and
put the Cowgirls ahead 2-1.
Oregon threatened in the seventh, putting runners on first and second
with one out, and loading the bases with two away, but Bay (26-8) got
Jenn Poore to strike out looking to end the game.
Bay struck out 10 on the day while scattering five six hits and
walking five. Harris allowed a pair of runs on five hits, walking two
and striking out seven in five innings of work. Anissa Meashintubby pitched
the final two innings for the Ducks, allowing a hit and striking out three.
OSU head coach Margaret Rebenar:
"A great team effort. Stephanie Hodges had a light's-out performance
today."
"We had better pitch selection today than we had yesterday, and hopefully
this will continue to improve as we move through the tournament."
OSU starting pitcher Lauren Bay:
"I was just hoping to keep the ball down and let my defense work,
and it worked. I had a lot of help from our bats so I was pretty confident
they were going to come through."
"My defense was awesome today. I was in awe... They for sure got
the win today."
OSU shortstop Stephanie Nicholson (on the home run):
"We knew coming in that it was going to be a tough game. I just told
myself to wait, and I waited. I had two strikes so I had to protect the
plate and she threw it straight down the middle."
Oregon 4, San Diego State 1
Oregon's Amber Hutchison was 3-for-4 on the day with an RBI and Andrea
Vidlund added a home run and a pair of RBI as the Ducks avoided elimination
by eliminating San Diego State, 4-1, on Friday evening at the Titan Softball
Complex.
Oregon improved to 34-18 overall will play the winner of the Penn State-Cal
State Fullerton matchup on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. PDT. San Diego
State finished the season 39-21 and was eliminated from postseason play.
Vidlund's 14th home run of the season, and her second of the regional,
put the Ducks up 2-0 in the third. Oregon added another run on an error
in the fifth to go up 3-0.
The Aztecs answered back with a run in the fifth on an RBI single to left
by Bianca Cruz, scoring Jamie Burton to cut the deficit to 3-1. Oregon
added an insurance run in the sixth on Hutchison's RBI bunt single.
Anissa Meashintuby (8-4) earned the victory, throwing four innings and
allowing a run on three hits with five strikeouts. Vidlund entered in
the fifth inning and fnished the game, allowing just two hits and striking
out two to earn her 10th save of the season.
Bre DeSanta (18-6) suffered the loss, allowing four runs (three earned)
on five hits, walking five and striking out five. Celena Velasquez pitched
the final 1 2/3 innings, allowing a hit in relief.
Oregon head coach Kathy Arendsen:
"We're real proud of the win and we're just going to try and take
it one at a time now."
"Our players, they respond well. We're kind of a veteran ballclub
... in that first game, we knew we had every opportunity against one of
the best pitchers in the country and didn't get the job done. We knew
we had to make up for it and we did. Viddie's (Andrea Vidlund) home run
was huge and her relief job, outstanding."
Oregon left fielder/pitcher Andrea Vidlund (on her home run):
"I went up there thinking 'first pitch' ... and it just happened
to be hanging over there for me."
SDSU head coach Kathy Van Wyk:
"I'm really proud of these kids. They did a heck of a job and they
battled tough. They didn't give up a bit ... they were going for it."
"Now we're at a point where we expect to be here. Next year, I hope
we expect to take the next step and that is to get past here and go to
the College World Series."
SDSU starting pitcher Bre DeSanta (on allowing the home run to Vidlund):
"I hit my spot; it was a little bit low,
but she just did a really good job of taking it to the opposite field."
Cal State Fullerton 8, Penn State 0 (6 innings) Cal State Fullerton avenged its first loss of the tournament
on Friday night via the long ball as the Titans smacked two home runs
and got a two-run single by Gina Oaks to eliminate Penn State, 8-0, in
six innings at the Titan Softball Complex.
Fullerton improved to 41-14 overall and will advance to play Oregon in
yet another elimination game on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. PDT. Penn
State ends its season with a 31-23 record.
Cal State Fullerton struck first, putting up a four-spot in the third
inning. Heather Saltarelli smacked a one-out double down the left field
line and scored when Gina Oaks hit a sharp single to center for the 1-0
advantage.
With Oaks moving to second on the throw, Topping walked on four pitches
and both moved up when Cox grounded out to short for the second out. That
brought up Hockett, who blasted her sixth home run of the season over
the right field fence, making it 4-0.
Jodie Cox helped herself in the fifth, smacking her sixth home run of
the season to centerfield to make it 6-0 before Oaks' two-run single capped
the scoring.
Cox (21-7) earned her second victory of the regional, allowing just three
hits and striking out nine batters in the complete-game shutout. Tina
Skelly (6-10) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on five hits in two
innings pitched.
Oaks was 3-for-4 with three RBI at the plate for the Titans and also scored
twice to set a new Cal State Fullerton career record for runs scored with
150, passing Sue Lewis' total of 149 which had stood since 1984.
Penn State Head Coach Robin Petrini:
"We ran into a great Fullerton team. The two home runs made the difference.
Unfortunately for us, Marisa Hanson could not pitch the entire game because
it was too dark with her mask on (Ed. Note: Hanson wears a paintball-style
protective mask after suffering a broken jaw after being hit by a line
drive three weeks ago). Tina Skelly gave us a couple of strong innings
as did Shana Riggleman, but Fullerton is a good team who takes advantage
of its opportunities."
CSUF Head Coach Michelle Gromacki:
"This game was all about us and it didn't matter who the opponent
was."
CSUF starting pitcher Jodie Cox:
"This is just the beginning of what we're going to do. Even though
we have a loss, it doesn't matter. We play better under pressure. It doesn't
matter who we're playing, who comes to the field ... we're here to play."
(On Hockett's home run): "It's momentum ... it got us going. Hitting
is contagious. And as a pitcher, it's wonderful. I love runs."
CSUF shortstop Amanda Hockett:
"Right now, we're basically playing for one another. We know there
isn't much left of our season and a lot of us aren't going to be here
so we're doing this for one another."
