Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly split a Big West Conference doubleheader
on Saturday afternoon at the Titan Softball Complex as the Mustangs held
on for a 6-5 win in the opener and the Titans posting the shutout, 3-0,
in the nightcap.
Fullerton improved to 13-13 overall, 4-1 in the Big West Conference, while
Cal Poly fell to 22-11 overall, 7-1 in league play.
GAME 1: Cal Poly 6, Cal State Fullerton 5 Cal Poly's Chelsea Green went 2-for-4 with a home run and a triple
and the Mustangs held of a late Titan rally as the Mustangs emerged with
a 6-5 victory in game one of the doubleheader.
Trailing 6-2 entering the final two innings, the Titans rallied for a
pair of runs in the sixth, loading the bases with one out and scoring
their first run on an RBI single to right by Tiffany Hoff to make it 6-3.
Freshman Dana Crucil then got Fullerton to within 6-4 as she beat out
an infield single, scoring Ashley Van Boxmeer.
Senior Lindsey Bashor, who was 2-for-4 to lead the Titans' offense, then
got Cal State Fullerton to within a run, smacking her fifth home run of
the season to left to lead off the seventh off reliever Eva Nelson to
make it 6-5.
However, Nelson recovered to earn her first save of the year, retiring
the next three Titans in the order on fly balls to end the game.
Robyn Kontra (13-4) earned the win for Cal Poly, allowing three earned
runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out three in six innings.
Brooke Weekley (2-3) suffered the loss for Cal State Fullerton, allowing
four earned runs on three hits and walking two in 2 1/3 innings of work.
Marissa Marzan tossed 4 2/3 innings of relief, allowing a run on four
hits and striking out four.
Cal Poly wasted no time in getting on the board as Chelsea Green smacked
a one-out home run (her second of the season) over the left centerfield
fence in the first for the 1-0 lead. The Mustangs added another single
run in the second after Shannon Brooks led off with a walk, moved to second
on a sacrifice, and scored on an error for the 2-0 lead.
A two-run single by Brooks in the third made it 4-0 and the Mustangs continued
to pile it on adding another run on Erin Myers' sacrifice fly to right
to make it 5-0.
Fullerton answered back in the third with a pair of runs of its own. Crystal
Vieyra led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice and scored
when Amanda Kamekona smacked her first career home run to left to make
it 5-2.
The Mustangs got one of those runs back in the fourth as Jackie
Gehrke-Jones reached on an infield single and scored three batters later
on Green's triple to right field to make it 6-2.
a struggling offen
For the Titans, a struggling offense showed signs of getting back on track
as Fullerton's eight hits in the game were the most since notching eight
on March 11 in the first game of a doubleheader against San Diego State.
Tiffany Hoff also added a pair of hits for the Titans.
GAME 2: Cal State Fullerton 3, Cal Poly 0 Cal State Fullerton junior Marissa Marzan tossed a complete-game
six-hit shutout while freshman Katie Gollhardt was a perfect 3-for-3 at
the plate to lead the Titans to a 3-0 win over Cal Poly in the nightcap.
Marzan (5-4) earned her third shutout of the year while walking three
and striking out four. She twice escaped bases loaded jams in the second
and third innings and helped in straning nine runners on base overall.
Eva Nelson (8-7), who earned the save in the first game of the day between
the two teams, suffered the loss in game two, allowing three runs on seven
hits, walking one and striking out five.
The Titans were the ones to strike first in this game, scoring a pair
in the third inning on a two-run triple to center by Ashley Van Boxmeer,
scoring Gollhardt and Amanda Kamekona for the 2-0 lead.
Fullerton made it 3-0 in the fifth as Lindsey Bashor connected on her
second home run of the day (sixth of the season), this one clearing the
fence in centerfield to make it 3-0.
That was all Marzan would need as she stranded runners at first and second
in the sixth and retired the side in order in the seventh to nail down
the win.
