May 11, 2007
RIVERSIDE, CA - The Cal State Fullerton softball team swept a Big West Conference doubleheader from UC Riverside by the scores of 15-7 and 2-0 on Friday afternoon at Amy S. Harrison Field.
Cal State Fullerton improved to 33-20 overall, 12-5 in the Big West Conference, with the victories and remains one game back of Cal Poly for first place with one game to play after the Mustangs clinched at least a share of the conference title and the leagues NCAA automatic berth with a doubleheader sweep of Pacific earlier in the day. UC Riverside fell to 16-36 overall, 0-17 in conference play with the losses.
The three-game series between the two teams concludes on Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. as the Titans and Highlanders close out the 2007 regular season at Amy S. Harrison Field in Riverside.
GAME 1: Cal State Fullerton 15, UC Riverside 7
Cal State Fullerton junior catcher Kiki Munoz went 5-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI to pace a 17-hit Titans attack as they handed UC Riverside a 15-7 defeat in the opener.
The Titans' 15 runs and 17 hits were both season highs and the most since Fullerton pounded out 16 runs on 18 hits against Long Beach State back in April of 2005.
Brooke Weekley (9-4) earned her ninth win of the year in eight starts, allowing one earned run (six overall) on five hits, walking one and striking out two. Senior Candice Baker came on to pitch the final two innings, allowing a run on one hit, walking four and striking out six to earn her fourth save of the year.
All five of Munoz's hits were singles and was joined in the "perfect" club by freshman Sheila Holguin, who finished 3-for-3 with three runs scores, two RBI, and a walk. Eight of the nine Titans' starters had hits on the afternoon, five of those with multiple hits.
Fullerton scored nine unanswered runs through the first four and a half innings as the Titans threatened to run away with the game
The Titans got on the board first in the second inning with a pair of one-out runs. Back-to-back hits by Kiki Munoz and Jenna Wheeler put a pair on for Sheila Holguin, who walked to load the bases.
With Crystal Vieyra at the plate, a wild pitch brought home Munoz and Wheeler came home right behind her, breaking for the plate after she drew a throw at third. After a fly ball with Holguin at second, Jessica Doucette then singled back up the middle to score the Titans' third run and make it 3-0.
Back-to-back singles by Wheeler and Holguin opened the fourth for the Titans as both came around to score on a pair of sacrifice flies by Vieyra and Courtney Martinez later in the inning to make it 5-0.
Fullerton tacked on one more in the fifth, loading the bases on a walk, a single, and a hit batter before a wild pitch plated pinch-runner Amanda Fernandez from third for the 6-0 lead. Holguin then followed with a two run single through the right side, moving Wheeler into scoring position. She would eventually come around to score on Vieyra's second sac fly on the afternoon to make it 9-0.
UC Riverside answered back in a big way in its half of the fifth, avoiding the shutout and extending the game with a six-run inning.
The first three batters for the Highlanders reached in the inning on a hit batter and a pair of singles for April Murray, whose fielder's choice ground ball to short was thrown wide at the plate, allowing Tricia Adgar to score and make it 9-1.
After a pop up for the first out, Marissa Alvidrez laced an RBI single to center and Jennifer Thompson's RBI fielder's choice added another for UCR, cutting the deficit to six runs.at 9-3.
Lauren Bauer then followed with the big blow, blasting her ninth home run of the year over the fence in left field, cutting the deficit in half at 9-6.
UCR inched closer with another run in the sixth as Alvidrez drew a one-out walk with the bases loaded to make it a 9-7 game.
That would be as close as the Highlanders would get as Cal State Fullerton exploded for six runs in the seventh on RBI hits from Martinez, Van Boxmeer, Holguin and Katie Gollhardt to ice the game.
Only two of Fullerton's 17 hits on the afternoon went for extra bases as the Titans stranded seven on the afternoon - six in scoring position.
GAME 2: Cal State Fullerton 2, UC Riverside 0
Junior Jessica Doucette and senior Candice Baker combined on a one-hit shutout while three Titans finished with two hits on the afternoon as Cal State Fullerton won the nightcap with a 2-0 victory.
Doucette (7-5) allowed only a two-out single in the second inning to Rachel Crawford in her five innings of work, walking two and striking out a pair. Baker came on to pitch the final two innings to earn her second save of the day and her fifth of the year, striking out five in two perfect innings of work.
Crystal Vieyra drove home the only two runs the Titans would need in the second inning. Back-to-back singles from Katie Gollhardt and Jenna Wheeler set the stage for Vieyra's two-out bloop double to left, giving Fullerton the 2-0 advantage.
That would be more than enough for Doucette, who retired eight in a row at one point before running into trouble in the fifth. A pair of one-out walks to Rachel Crawford and Nicole Carter started the threat put two on for the Highlanders, but Doucette worked out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
Baker then came on and retired the side in order in the sixth and seventh to end the game.
Courtney Martinez, Wheeler, and Vieyra each finished the game with two hits with Vieyra's double being the only extra-base knock.
Stephanie Marshall (7-11) suffered the loss, allowing the two runs on nine hits to go with three strikeouts in the complete-game effort.
NOTES: With her 11 strikeouts on the day, Baker moved into sole possession of fourth on the school's career punchouts list with 690, passing current Titan assistant coach and two-time All-American Gina Oaks' total from 2000-03. Oaks' teammate Jodie Cox is in third place with 699 career strikeouts.