Strong pitching from Long Beach State starters Marcel Torres and Meredith
Cervenka helped keep the 49ers in first place in the Big West Conference
as the host team swept visiting Cal State Fullerton by the scores of 2-0
and 5-0 on Wednesday afternoon at the 49ers Softball Complex.
Cal State Fullerton fell to 18-17 overall and 7-5 in the Big West. Long
Beach State improved to 31-13 overal, 11-1 in league action.
The Titans return to action this weekend as they continue Big West Conference
play with a three-game series against Utah State at the Titan Softball
Complex. The series opens with a doubleheader on Saturday (April 23) at
noon and a single game on Sunday (April 24), also at noon.
GAME 1: LONG BEACH STATE 2, CAL STATE FULLERTON 0 Long Beach State senior Marcel Torres held visiting Cal State
Fullerton to a single hit in a complete-game effort as the 49ers clinched
a series win with a 2-0 victory on Wednesday afternoon.
Torres (12-6) allowed only a single to Lindsey Bashor to lead off the
game and buckled down the rest of the way, walking just one and striking
out nine to win her second game of the series.
Candice Baker (8-7) suffered the loss, allowing a pair of unearned runs
on four hits, walking two and striking out four. Brooke Weekley tossed
two innings of one-hit relief, walking two and striking out two.
Long Beach State scored the only two runs of the game in the fourth inning
as Lauren Johnson scored on Oli Keohohou's fielder's choice that was mishandled
by the Titan second baseman in an attempt to get the runner out at second.
The 49ers added another run one batter later on Jonae Perez's single to
left, plating Tiffanie Wedell for the 2-0 lead.
That was all Long Beach would need as the Titans failed to get a runner
to second, reaching on an error in the fourth after Bashor's single and
a walk to Baker in the first inning.
GAME 2: LONG BEACH STATE 5, CAL STATE FULLERTON 0 Long Beach State's Meredith Cervenka scattered just three hits
and the 49ers' offense bashed out 11 hits on the day as Long Beach State
posted its second shutout of the day, 5-0, over visiting Cal State Fullerton.
Cervenka (19-7) held the Titans hitless through 4 2/3 innings until Crystal
Vieyra's two-out single to left in the fifth. Fullerton managed just one
base runner up until that point as Ashley Van Boxmeer reached on an error
in the second.
The 49ers got on the board quickly in the first inning as Lauren Johnson
scored on a defensive miscue and Jonae Perez drove home Tiffanie Wedell
with a sacrifice fly for the 2-0 advantage.
Kourtnee Gervasi made it 3-0 with a solo home run to lead off the second
inning and Long Beach State added on two more in the fourth on a two-run
single by Marcel Torres to make it 5-0.
Fullerton didn't have a base runner reach second base until the sixth
when Lindsey Bashor drew a two-out walk and moved to second on a single
back up the middle by Amanda Kamekona. The TItans then loaded the bases
on a base hit through the left side by Katie Gollhardt, but Cervanka worked
out of the jam by getting Candice Baker to line out to the rightfielder
to preserve the shutout.
Brooke Weekley (3-4) suffered the loss for the Titans, allowing a pair
of runs on four hits and striking out one in only one inning of work.
Freshman Dana Crucil pitched the final five innings, allowing three runs
on seven hits, walking two and striking out one.
