Cal State Fullerton junior Lindsey Bashor and freshman Candice Baker each
slugged a pair of home runs on the day to lead the No. 13 Titans to a
opening day split at the Arizona State Fiesta Bowl Classic in Phoenix,
Ariz., on Friday morning.
Fullerton improved to 1-1 overall, falling to No. 16 Oregon by the score
of 10-1 in five innings in the tournament opener before coming from behind
to defeat No. 10 Texas, 10-3, in eight innings.
Against the Longhorns, Bashor and Baker hit home runs to tie the game
in the seventh at 3-3, before the Titans' offense exploded, sending 11
batters to the plate in a deciding seven-run eighth inning en route to
the win.
Texas scored first in the opening frame on an RBI single to left by Wynter
Turner. Cal State Fullerton responded in the third on Bashor's first home
run of her Titans career, a towering shot to left field, knotting the
game at 1-1.
The Longhorns regained the lead in the fifth, scoring a pair on RBI hits
by Chez Sievers and Jacqueline Williams for the 3-1 lead.
Fullerton had a chance to respond in its half of the fifth, loading the
bases with two outs, but Texas starter Amy Bradford struck out Jenna Wheeler
to end the threat.
Things stayed tight until the seventh when Bashor slammed her second of
the day over the left field fence, cutting the gap to 3-2. After a strikeout
sent the Titans down to their final at-bat, Baker gave the Longhorns an
episode of deja vu, rocketing a line drive home run over the left field
fence, almost in the exact same spot as Bashor's to tie the game.
Turner led off Texas' half of the seventh with a single to left, but Baker
shut them down in the circle, retireing the final three in order to force
extra innings.
With Wheeler on second base as per the international tie breaker, Tiffany
Hoff's attempted sacrifice went unfielded as she reached and moved Wheeler
to third. Jennifer Holt followed with a single past the drawn in infield
for the tiebreaking run, opening the floodgates.
Julie Watson singled through the infield to drive in a pair and was followed
by Bashor, whose one-out single to right drove in two more to make it
8-3. Wheeler came up as the ninth hitter in the inning two batters later,
and drilled a double to left centerfield, driving in two more for the
final tally.
Bashor finished 3-for-5 with four RBI as eight of the nine Titans starters
notched at least one hit. Holt added a pair of hits and Wheeler had two
RBI.
Baker (1-1) earned the win, allowing three runs on 12 hits and striking
out five. Both teams stranded 11 runners on base. Amy Bradford (5-1) took
the loss, allowing seven runs on eight hits and striking out nine in seven
innings.
In game one, Oregon scored six times in the first inning, sending 11 batters
to the plate en route to the 10-1 victory in five innings.
The Ducks jumped all over Titan pitchers, capitalizing on nine walks from
the staff. Ashley Richards, Kayleen Hudson, Anne Marie Topps, and Dani
Baird each had RBI's in the opening frame, knocking out Titans starter
Candice Baker after only 1/3 of an inning in her first career start.
Fullerton got a run back on Baker's first career home run in the second
inning, but that would be one of only five Titans hits on the day as Oregon
closed out the scoring with a four-run third inning, including a three-run
home run off Brooke Weekley by Beth Boskovich.
Ani Nyhus earned the win for Oregon, allowing a run on three hits and
striking out two. She gave way to Anissa Meashintubby in the fourth, giving
up just a pair of hits and striking out two in two innings.
Baker allowed six runs on a pair of hits, walking five and striking out
five in the loss. Weekley came in and pitched very well in relief, throwing
4 2/3 innings in her first career appearance, allowing the four runs on
three hits, walking four and striking out three.
Cal State Fullerton returns to action on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 14)
as the Titans take on Texas State and Massachusetts at 3:30 and 5:30 p.m.,
respectively.
