Cal State Fullerton 5, DePaul 0 - Box Score (PDF)
Cal State Fullerton 3, Boise State 0 - Box Score (PDF)
FULLERTON, Calif. — The Cal State Fullerton softball team swept day one of the Easton Tournament over DePaul, 5-0, behind a combined shutout from Desiree Ybarra and Jasmine Antunez, while Christina Washington and Ybarra led the way once again in the circle with a 3-0 decision over Boise State at Anderson Family Field on Friday.
With two victories on opening day, the Titans reach 16-12, while DePaul drops to 6-14 and Boise State falls to 8-18.
Cal State Fullerton wraps up the two-day tournament tomorrow hosting Nebraska (5:30 p.m.) and Charleston Southern (8:00 p.m.) at Anderson Family Field in Fullerton, Calif.
GAME ONE: Cal State Fullerton 5, DePaul 0
The Titans entered the Easton Tournament with a two-game losing streak and were looking to get back on track facing a pair of opponents with losing records. Fullerton leaned on its pitching staff, a facet of the team that has struggled all season to end the skid.
Cal State Fullerton junior Desiree Ybarra (7-6) was given the nod to start, scattering three hits over five frames and striking out two. Fellow CSF junior Jasmine Antunez tossed the final two innings stifling the DePaul bats and not allowing a hit.
The Fullerton bats woke up in the fourth as Missy Taukieaho led off the frame with a double to left center. University of Arizona transfer Courtney Rodriguez singled through the hole in right, advancing Taukeiaho to third. The Titans continued the pressure as Rodriguez stole second, forcing a throwing error by the Broncos' catcher to bring an alert Taukeiaho home from third to make it 1-0. CSF extended to a 3-0 lead following a groundout from freshman Bryanna Ybarra and another error on a dropped outfield fly ball. Shianne Brannan capped off the outburst by roping a single into left to place the Titans in front 4-0, which was more than enough offense to support the pitching duo.
The lone Titans' senior on the squad, Eliza Crawford, added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth to bring home Taukeiaho who singled to lead off the frame. Rodriguez (2-for-3) and Taukeiaho (2-for-3) were the only Titans to log multi-hit games while combining to score three runs.
Megan Leyva (2-4) tossed the full six innings in the loss for DePaul, yielding five runs (three earned) on nine hits, but showed exceptional control with zero walks.
GAME TWO: Cal State Fullerton 3, Boise State 0
Pitching was again the tale of the story in the final game of the evening as sophomore Christina Washington (8-3) turned in five and 2/3 innings of shutout ball, yielding only two hits while fanning six Broncos. Desiree Ybarra, who picked up the victory against DePaul earlier in the evening, notched her second save of the season after tossing the final one and 1/3 frames holding Boise State to one hit.
In support of the stellar pitching, the Titans tallied one run in each of the third, fourth and fifth frames which was enough to top a struggling Boise State offense that could only muster up three hits on the night.
Fullerton freshman Shianne Brannan led off the third with a looping double down the right field line. Fellow rookie Samantha Vandiver collected a single and forced a throwing error by the Broncos' third baseman to bring Brannan home from second to put the Titans out front 1-0.
CSF tacked on a run in the fourth with an RBI single from Melissa Sechrest, later followed by Missy Taukeiaho being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth to pull ahead 3-0.
The 1-2 combination of Vandiver and Delynn Rippy at the top of the order combined for a 4-for-6 effort.
Broncos' starter Nicole Wilson (1-3) also pitched admirably, going the distance and limiting the Fullerton offense to just three runs (two earned) on 10 hits. The right-hander logged two strikeouts.
Game Notes: Fullerton clinched back-to-back shutout victories for the first time since 2007 when the Titans defeated Canisius, 8-0, and Virginia Tech, 1-0, at the NCAA Regionals on March 19…CSF is 7-2 on Friday's and 9-6 at home…The Titans are now 4-7 against DePaul in the all-time series, notching their first victory over the Blue Demons since a 6-0 decision in 2013…Fullerton continues its dominance over Boise State in program history, advancing to a perfect 5-0 after a 15-4 rout in five innings on Feb. 13 at the Wilson/Demarini Classic in Las Vegas, followed by a 2-0 shutout on Feb. 28 at the Louisville Slugger Tournament to outscore BSU for a combined 20-4 advantage in three meetings...Vandiver extended her hitting streak to a team-high 12th game…Taukeiaho has a team-high 12 multi-hits games…The Titans captured their fourth and fifth shutouts of the 2015 campaign.