FULLERTON, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton softball team suffered its second consecutive loss to conclude the Judi Garman Classic, falling 9-3 to San Diego State behind a complete game from Erica Romero at Anderson Family Field on Sunday evening.
While the Titans' (14-12) needed four different pitchers to complete the seven frames, Romero (13-5) was able to go the distance, yielding two earned runs while scattering eight hits and striking out six. The right-hander from Corona, Calif. minimized base runners by walking three and stranding nine Fullerton base runners.
The SDSU (15-8) offense applied relentless pressure all evening, tallying at least one run in every frame excluding the opening two innings. The Aztecs slugged two round-trippers and five doubles as five different student-athletes logged a minimum of one RBI.
Sydnee Cable (1-for-3) got the Aztecs on the board first with a two-run homer to left in the top of the third inning. Lorena Bauer continued the power surge with another three-run blast in the seventh to put the game out of reach. Cable collected two RBIs and drew one walk while Bauer turned in a 2-for-4 performance, scoring three times and driving in two.
Emerging Fullerton freshman Samantha Vandiver continued to rake offensively, carding a 2-for-3 evening at the plate, while University of Arizona transfer Courtney Rodriguez (2-for-4) scored once and carded one RBI. Missy Taukeiaho (2-for-4) rounded out the trio of Titans that recorded a multi-hit game.
Jasmine Antunez (1-3) suffered her third loss of the season after two and 2/3 innings, while issuing four walks and giving up two runs. With two outs in the third frame, sophomore Christina Washington entered in relief, but was tagged for three earned runs on five hits.
CSF freshman Brooke Clemetson, who has primarily been featured as a pinch runner with her superior speed, was given the nod by head coach Kelly Ford to make her first career appearance in the circle. The right-hander from Covina, Calif. tossed two innings, allowing three runs on four hits. Cerissa Rivera made her second appearance of the season recording the final two outs, but did issue one base on balls.
The Titans will continue their 13-game home stand hosting the Easton Tournament from March 13-14 at Anderson Family Field. Cal State Fullerton will open the two-day event against DePaul at 5:30 p.m. in Fullerton, Calif.
Game Notes: Over the weekend, the Titans set a single-tournament record for attendance at Anderson Family Field with 2,286 fans attending the Judi Garman Classic on March 7 breaking the previous mark of 2,096 vs. Fresno State (3/21/08 - Judi Garman Classic)...Fullerton finished the four-day event with a 1-3 record...CSF is 46-20 in the all-time series against the Aztecs and has now dropped the last 10 out of 11 to SDSU…The Titans are 3-3 on Sunday's and 7-6 at home...Vandiver extended her hitting streak to a team-high 10th game, boosting her average to a whopping .643 (18-for-28) in just 10 starts…The Titans have struggled to score in the seventh inning, being outscored 27-8 in that very frame…Fullerton is now 6-9 when the opponent scores first…Rippy and Taukeiaho have now reached base for a seventh straight game, respectively…Rodriguez logged her 10th multi-hit game…Clemetson became the fifth different pitcher to be used in the 2015 campaign.
