FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton (3-1) play a tremendous all-around game on Sunday to beat Loyola Marymount (1-3-1) in the finale of the Titan Classic.
The Titans came out hot and heavy straight out of the gate putting up a four-spot in the bottom half of the first. Starting with a Sammie Vandiver double, the Titans bats clicked early. Freshman Deshea Hill would single in Vandiver for the Titans' first run of the ballgame. After a Zoe Richard hit by pitch, senior Shianne Brannan stepped to the plate and launched a three-run shot over the left field fence. It marks the first home run of the season for Fullerton and the ninth of Brannan's career.
The Titans kept it going in the second with Vandiver tripling to right field. She would come in to score easily on a Richard double. In the circle, freshman Janelle Rodriguez settled in after a couple of hard hit balls in the first, retiring six straight batter before being pulled for some sort of injury. Hannah Johnson took over in the circle and continued to hold LMU in check.
The Lions got their first run of the ballgame thanks to Wisz's first of two home runs in the top half of the fourth. A Sanchez RBI single in the fifth inning brought LMU one-run closer, but a perfectly executed squeeze bunt from Julia Valenzuela in the bottom half took it back to a four-run lead for Fullerton.
Wisz would hit her second home run of the day in the sixth inning to make it 6-3, but she was the only Lion to really do damage against the Titan pitching staff. The only hit for Fullerton in the sixth was the senior left fielder yet again. Vandiver's third hit of the day, a single through the left side put her a homer shy of the cycle. Unfortunately, she would not get another at-bat in this one.
Senior Kenzie Grimes would take over in the circle to finish up the game and record her second save of the season giving Fullerton the 6-3 victory.
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Stats from the day (starting lineup)
Clemetson: 0-2
Vandiver: 3-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R
Williams: 0-2
Hill: 2-2, R, RBI, BB
Richard: 1-3, 2B, R, RBI, HBP
Brannan: 1-2, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB, SB
Ybarra: 1-2
Kennedy: 1-2, BB
Valenzuela: 1-2, 3B, BB
Pitching
Rodriguez: 2.2 IP, H, 2 K
Johnson: Win (1-0), 3.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Grimes: Save (2), IP, H
Fullerton will hit the road for the first time of the year as they head San Diego State for the Campbell Cartier Tournament next weekend. They will play a total of five games with two on Friday, two on Saturday, and one on Sunday.
