Titans Split in Day One Action at UNLV Tourney Feb. 14, 2003 – Las Vegas, Nev.
The No. 10 Cal State Fullerton softball team
opened the 2003 Desert Softball Classic hosted by UNLV on Friday morning
with a split of its two games, falling to No. 7 Louisiana State, 4-3,
and defeating Central Michigan, 9-1, in five innings.
The Titans are now 7-4 overall on the season while LSU improved to 4-2
and Central Michigan fell to 0-1.
Senior shortstop Amanda Hockett was the hot hitter on the day for Fullerton,
going a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a triple, home run and four
RBI. Senior Jenny Topping went 4-for-7 with two doubles and an RBI.
Cal State Fullerton continues play on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. against
Utah and 7 p.m. against No. 20 South Carolina.
No. 7 LSU 4, No. 10 Cal State Fullerton 3 | Box
Score
Back-to-back wild pitches in the seventh led to the winning run for Louisiana
State as Cal State Fullerton's rally fell short in a 4-3 loss in the opening
contest at the UNLV Desert Softball Classic on Friday morning.
Trailing 3-1 in the sixth, the Titans mounted a come back, tying the score
at 3-3 on a sacrifice fly by senior Amanda Hockett and an RBI fielder's
choice by senior Amy LaRocque.
The following inning, LSU put the leadoff runners on with a walk to Megann
Steege and an error by the Titan second baseman. A wild pitch then advanced
the runners 60 feet minutes before another wild pitch brought Steege home
for the eventual game-winning run.
Hockett and senior Jenny Topping each had two hits while Hockett contributed
two RBI. Jodie Cox (2-3) suffered the loss for the Titans, going the distance
and striking out 11, but was hurt by seven walks on the day.
LSU's Tessa Lynam (3-0) earned the win, striking out seven and scattering
six hits and one earned run.
No. 10 Cal State Fullerton 9, Central Michigan 1 (5 innings) |
Box Score
Cal State Fullerton sent nine batters to the plate in the first and eight
in the second as the Titans snapped their three game losing streak with
a 9-1 run-rule victory over Central Michigan.
Gina Oaks (5-1) got the win for Cal State Fullerton, throwing three innings
of no-hit softball, walking one and striking out one. Freshman Roxy Moran,
making the first appearance of her career, pitched the final two innings,
allowing one run on two hits with a walk and strikeout.
Fullerton struck early and often off Central Michigan starter Amber Pulchalski
(0-1) in the top half of the first inning, sending nine batters to the
plate. An error and back-to-back singles by Topping and Cox plated the
Titans first run and they made it 3-0 on a pair of bases loaded walks
to sophomore Caylin Hornish and junior Jennifer Holt.
The Titans tacked on two more on the second, sending eight batters to
the plate. Oaks kicked things off by reaching base on an error for the
second consecutive inning and scored when Topping smacked her second double
of the day to left field to make it 4-0.
Hockett contributed the Titans' next two runs with an RBI single in the
second and a first-pitch leadoff home run in the fourth over the centerfield
fence for a 6-0 advantage. The Titans tacked on three more runs on an
RBI single by Krista O'Hanian and a two-run double by Oaks to make it
9-0.
Central Michigan got on the board in its half of the fourth as Michelle
Brander smacked a one-out double and was brought home on an RBI single
by Aimee Smith to cut the lead to 9-1.
