Games 46-48
Cal State Fullerton at Hawai'i
Date: Friday, April 22 & Saturday, April 23
Times: 6 p.m. & 2 p.m./4 p.m.
Location: Honolulu, O'ahu
Venue: Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
Live Stats: HawaiiAthletics.com
Series Record: Cal State Fullerton leads 51-14
A LOOK AT THE WEEK
Cal State Fullerton heads to Honolulu, O'ahu to go head-to-head withHawai'i in a three-game series beginning Friday, April 22 at 6 p.m. and concluding Saturday, April 23 with a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.
FOLLOW THE TITANS
Fans can keep up with the latest in Cal State Fullerton athletics by following us on Facebook (FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) and Instagram (FullertonTitans). In addition, the softball team has established its own official Facebook (csufsoftball), Twitter (@CSUFSoftball) and Instagram (csufsoftball) accounts.
KEEP UP WITH TITAN SOFTBALL
Live stats will be provided for all games this week. To access live stats for the games, log onto www.FullertonTitans.com and go to the softball schedule, then click live stats.
WATCH THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton home softball contests will be broadcast live over the Internet at FullertonTitans.com. The Titans also offer live streaming video for home softball contests over the Internet courtesy of Big West.TV. Fans can catch all the exclusive action from the comfort of their home computers. To access the links, click on the audio or live video link on the schedule page.
TITANS VS. RAINBOW WAHINE
The Titans and the Rainbow Wahine have met 65 times before this weekend's series and Cal State Fullerton leads the all-time series 51-14. The Titans are 25-6 when playing the Rainbow Wahine in Honolulu and take a 10-game winning streak into the series.
LAST TIME OUT
The Cal State Fullerton softball team extended its winning streak to 10 games with an 8-2 victory over San Diego Tuesday night in a non-conference contest at Anderson Family Field. In the win, Cerissa Rivera recorded her fourth victory in the circle, while Missy Taukeiaho belted her seventh homer of the season.
The Titans improve to 35-10 on the year and have won 15 of their last 16 games. Their 10-game winning streak marks the longest such streak since 2005 when the Titans won 11 straight games before losing in the NCAA Regionals.
Rivera earned the start in the circle – her sixth of the year – and pitched 4.0 innings against San Diego (16-26). She surrendered just one run on seven hits, while issuing one walk and fanning four en route to picking up her fourth win of the season.
Cal State Fullerton's offense gave Rivera the run support she needed as the Titans plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning after Taukeiaho launched a two-run blast over the leftfield wall. Her seventh homer of the year gave the Titans a 2-0 lead it would never relinquish.
The Titans tacked on two more runs in the second on three hits and an error. In the frame, Sydney Colenzo and Shianne Brannan, who reached base on a single and a double, respectively, came around to score on an RBI-single by Delynn Rippy followed by a Toreros' error.
With a 4-0 lead, Cal State Fullerton added three runs in the third on two hits and a pair of errors as they jumped out to a 7-0 advantage.
The Toreros tallied their first run of the ballgame on a solo home run off the bat of Mary Grabowski. She led off the fourth inning with a homer to leftfield, but Rivera managed to get out of the frame without allowing another run to come across.
Fullerton added its final run of the game in the bottom of the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Brooke Clemetson and Mikaela Francis. Francis' double plated Clemetson as the Titan took an 8-1 lead.
Christina Washington came on in relief of Rivera and pitched 2.0 innings of work. She allowed one run, which came in the sixth inning, on four hits. Washington walked one and struck out one, before making way for Jasmine Antunez who pitched the final inning of action and retired the side.
San Diego's starter Grace Hernandez (5-10) suffered the loss after allowing seven runs, four of which were earned, on seven hits. She walked two and fanned three in 3.0 innings pitched.
Lauren Berriatua pitched the final 3.0 frames and allowed one run on two hits and recorded one strike out.
The Toreros out-hit the Titans recording 11 hits to the hosts' nine. However, San Diego left 11 on base, while Cal State Fullerton stranded five and took advantage of four USD errors.
Taukeiaho finished the game batting 1-for-1 with an intentional walk, a home run, a run scored and two RBIs. Clemetson was 1-for-2 with a double and two runs scored, while Rippy was 2-for-2 with three RBIs.
100 AND COUNTING
Head coach Kelly Ford recorded her 100th win at the helm of the Cal State Fullerton softball program against Santa Clara on Feb. 19. Ford now owns 130 victories and looks to finish off the weekend with 133.
STREAKING
Cal State Fullerton has now won 10 straight games dating back to a one-run loss to nationally-ranked UCLA on March 29. The 10 consecutive wins marks the longest winning streak for a Titans' softball program since 2005 when they won 11 straight games before losing in the NCAA Regionals.
HOT START
The Titans have opened Big West Conference play with a 9-0 record marking their best start to league action since 2003 when Cal State Fullerton went 10-0. In that year, the Titans finished league play with a 20-1 record and hosted the NCAA Regionals.
WALK THIS WAY
Missy Taukeiaho is leading the Titans in walks this season as she has drawn 31 bases on balls which lead both Cal State Fullerton and the Big West Conference. She is tops in both the conference and on the Titans by six walks.
NATIONAL ATTENTION
Cal State Fullerton has posted a 35-10 record with a winning percentage of .778 which ranks 16th nationally in win-loss percentage. However, the Titans' wins are not the only category making the top 25 in the NCAA. As a team, Fullerton's pitching staff has posted a 2.12 ERA which leads the Big West Conference and ranks 16th nationally.
Individually, the Titans have a pair of players whose stats also rank in the nation's top 25. Senior third baseman Missy Taukeiaho ranks third in the nation in doubles per game (.045), while junior rightfielder Delynn Rippy ranks eighth nationally in triples (5) and 17th in the nation in triples per game (0.12).
GOOD AS GOLD
Freshman right-hander Sydney Golden boasts an 14-3 record on the year to rank second in the Big West in wins. She has pitched six complete games and one shutout in 22 appearances. The Riverside, Calif., native owns a 1.78 ERA, which also ranks third in the conference.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Desiree Ybarra has set the tone in the circle for the Titans' pitching staff as the senior left-hander owns a 1.76 ERA in 27 appearances with 18 starts. The Riverside, Calif., native has collected 11 wins, nine complete games, three shutouts, one save and 105 strike outs this season. Additionally, she has allowed just 49 walks and 95 hits in 115.1 innings of work.
Ybarra is second in the Big West in ERA (1.76) and third in opponent batting average (.222).
STOP! THIEF!
Cal State Fullerton has a trio of runners who have been hot on the base paths and posting double figures in stolen bases. Ariana Williams leads the squad with 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts and Courtney Rodriguez is second on the team with 14 steals in 18 attempts. Following close behind is Delynn Rippy with 11 steals on 13 attempts. The trio account for 41 of the Titans' 69 stolen bases.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
In addition to leading the conference in the Big West standings with a perfect 9-0 record, the Titans have done a solid job offensively this season as they are leading the Big West Conference in 10 offensive categories. Cal State Fullerton sits atop the league in slugging percentage (.440), on-base percentage (.391), runs scored (243), RBIs (200), doubles (71), triples (11), total bases (516), total plate appearances (1364), walks (148) and sacrifice flies (14).
IN THE CIRCLE
The Titans have also seen strong pitching this season as well. CSF leads the Big West with a 2.12 ERA which is also third in the nation. Additionally, Fullerton leads the conference in opponent batting average (.235), wins (35), fewest runs allowed (116), fewest earned runs allowed (91), fewest doubles allowed (36), fewest home runs allowed (15).
HOME RUN TERRITORY
The Titans have launched 20 long balls on the year and 14 of them have come from the bat of Alexis Gonzalez and Missy Taukeiaho. Gonzalez and Taukeiaho lead Cal State Fullerton with seven homers. Melissa Sechrest has belted three, while Desiree Ybarra, Sarah Moore and Shianne Brannan have each recorded one apiece.
DOUBLE VISION
This season, the Titans' defense has turned 12 double plays. Three of those came in Fullerton's 10-0 win over Santa Clara, while two came in a mid-week contest versus Princeton. Their 12 DP's rank tied for fourth in the Big West Conference.
MONTHLY SUCCESS
During the month of March, Cal State Fullerton boasted a record of 16-4 which is an .800 winning percentage. Three of the Titans' four losses came to nationally-ranked opponents.
Now that April has begun, the Titans have continued their tear as they are a perfect 10-0 this month.
THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM
Cal State Fullerton has made the most of scoring early in games. When the Titans score first, they are 30-2 on the year. Additionally, Fullerton is 19-1 when it scores in the first inning.
CSF has scored the majority of its runs in the first this season, plating 52 in the opening frame, while limiting their opponents to just 16.
THE POINT OF NO RETURN
After 45 games played, Cal State Fullerton is undefeated when leading after the fifth inning. The Titans have won 25 of their 35 victories holding onto a lead after the fifth inning.
RETURN OF THE ALL-AMERICAN
Three-time All-American Missy Taukeiaho was selected as one of 50 student-athletes on the "Watch List" for the 2016 USA Collegiate Softball Player of the Year award. The is the second straight year she has been selected to the "Watch List."
This season the senior third baseman leads the team with a .394 batting average and has scored 40 runs, drove in 31, roped 20 doubles, ripped one triple and belted seven homers, while drawing 31 walks on the season. She also leads the team with a .732 slugging percentage and a .519 on-base percentage. Her 20 doubles and 31 walks lead both Cal State Fullerton and the Big West Conference.
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY
The Titans have had their most success when playing on Sunday as the squad is undefeated when playing on that day of the week. Cal State Fullerton owns a 9-0 record when taking the field on a Sunday.
GET 'EM ON, GET 'EM OVER, GET 'EM IN
The Titans are hitting .513 (384-for-749) when successfully advancing runners on the base paths. Leading the way offensively in this situation is Delynn Rippy who is 40-for-64 (.625). Additionally Cal State Fullerton is batting .474 (64-for-135) with a runner at third with less than two outs. Alexis Gonzalez has been most effective in this situation as she boasts a .667 batting average (8-for-12) with a runner at third and less than two outs.
DOUBLE DOUBLE TOIL AND TROUBLE
Missy Taukeiaho leads both Cal State Fullerton and the Big West Conference with 20 doubles on the year. Taukeiaho roped three doubles in one game earlier this season against UT-San Antonio in the season opener on Feb. 12. As a team, the Titans have recorded 71 doubles which leads the Big West Conference.
BWC STATISTICAL CATEGORIES
Cal State Fullerton ranks in the top two in each statistical category in the Big West Conference. The Titans lead the league in earned run average with a 2.12 team ERA. Additionally, CSF is second in fielding percentage with a .969 mark and second in batting average with a .309 clip.
UNDEFEATED WHEN...
This season, the Titans are undefeated in several situations. The breakdown is as follows:
In Big West Conference games (9-0)
In road games (6-0)
In two-run games (7-0)
When scoring 10+ runs (3-0)
When leading after the fifth inning (25-0)
When hitting 2+ HRs in a game (3-0)
In the month of April (10-0)
When playing on Sunday (9-0)
NO RELATION
The Titans have a pair of Ybarra's on the team in senior left-handed pitcher Desiree Ybarra and sophomore infielder Bryanna Ybarra. Desiree sports jersey No. 15, while Bryanna wears No. 16. With the same last name and consecutive jersey numbers, you'd think the pair are sisters - they're not.
ON DECK
Cal State Fullerton returns to Anderson Family Field to host Long Beach State on Wednesday, April 27 in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. The two games will be televised on ESPNU. The Titans and 49ers wrap up the series Friday, April 29 at 6 p.m.