FULLERTON, Calif.- Cal State Fullerton softball team dropped a 14-1 decision to No. 15 Stanford and was shutout 7-0, Saturday, on the second day of the Easton Invitational at Anderson Family Field. The Titans drop to 8-11 overall, while the Cardinal move to 14-5 and the Hawkeyes improve to 13-5.
The Titans head on the road to compete in the Long Beach State Invitational against Weber State and Virginia Tech at the Mayfield Park in Lakewood, Calif., on Thursday, March 7th. The Easton Invitational wraps up tomorrow with four games still to be played.
Game 1 Stanford 14, Cal State Fullerton 1
Freshman Jasmine Antunez took the loss against Stanford, dropping to 5-6 on the year. She gave up five runs on four hits with four walks in 2 1/3 innings. Teagan Gerhart earned the win for Stanford, improving to 7-3. Gerhart held the Titans in check only allowing one run on two hits. Nyree White pitched the final two innings only issuing a walk.
The Cardinal got on the board first against Fullerton, scoring two runs in the top of the second off an Erin Ashby home run. The Titans would answer back in the bottom half of the inning off a solo shot to left field from third baseman Eliza Crawford, for her second of the season.
However, the Cardinal bats came alive in the third inning scoring four runs the inning. Stanford had three RBI doubles in the inning and forced Cal State Fullerton head coach Kelly Ford to make a pitching change. The Cardinal would add eight more runs in the game to take the victory in five innings. Fullerton senior Katey Laban relieved Antunez in the third inning and tossed the final 2 2/3 innings giving up nine runs, five earned, off ten hits.
Eliza Crawford was 1-for-1 with a home run and walk and junior Leesa Harris also added a single in the loss. Stanford's second baseman Kaitlin Schaberg was 2-for-4 with four RBI's and two runs scored. Kayla Bonstrom and Leah White also added two hits and two RBI's apiece for the Cardinal.
Game 2 Iowa 7, Cal State Fullerton 0
Iowa junior Kayla Massey tossed a complete game one-hitter against the Titans in game two of the Easton Invitational. Massey allowed only four base runners in the contest and tossed 126 pitches to record the victory.
The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 5-0 lead after some miscues by Fullerton in the top of the first. Iowa's Bradi Wall, Megan Blank, and Sammi Gyerman all contributed in the inning with RBI hits in the first to give the Hawkeyes the early lead. Massey helped herself out in the top of the second inning after she belted a two run homerun to left center giving Iowa a 7-0 advantage.
In her third start of the season sophomore Desiree Ybarra (3-3) tossed 1 2/3 innings giving up seven runs, six earned, off six hits to record the loss. Senior Katey Laban relieved Ybarra in the bottom of the second and threw the final 5 1/3 innings allowing no runs and only giving up two hits.
The Titans only hit came in the fifth inning off a double to left from junior Leesa Harris and was held in check by Massey throughout the contest.
Sammi Gyerman was 2-for-4 with two RBI's, Megan Blank was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Bradi Wall added an RBI in the Hawkeye victory.
Stanford plays Indiana tomorrow March 3rd against Indiana at 8:30 a.m. and Iowa will wrap up tournament play against CSU Bakersfield tonight (March 2) at Anderson Family Field.