May 12, 2012
FULLERTON, CA - Heather Zimmerman's pinch-hit RBI single to right drove home Kylie Fan with the go-ahead run, keying a two-run sixth-inning rally, and helping visiting UC Davis to a 5-3 victory over Cal State Fullerton in the regular season finale for both teams on Saturday afternoon at Anderson Family Field.
The loss ended the Titans' season at 20-31 overall and 8-13 in Big West Conference, good for a fifth-place tie with UC Riverside. The Aggies completed their regular season at 24-28 overall and 14-7 in league play, good for third place.
After surrendering six runs in a game two loss the night before, Justine Vela (20-13) earned her 20th win of the season, allowing three runs on 12 hits while striking out 10 in the complete-game effort. She stranded 10 Fullerton base runners on the day - six of those in scoring position - and limited the Titans to 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position with six strikeouts.
Desiree Ybarra (13-17) suffered the loss, allowing four earned on 10 hits, walking two in the complete-game effort.
An RBI triple by Ashley Carter, who also had an RBI single in the second, had given Fullerton the lead in the fourth, but UC Davis rallied back with four runs in the final three innings to take control. After escaping a runners at second and third jam in the fifth, a key error on a sacrifice attempt in the sixth plated pinch-runner Allison Smith to tie the game. That brought up Zimmerman, who looped a single to right for the 4-2 lead.
Fullerton got a run back in the sixth with two outs as Leesa Harris singled and scored on Nicole Johnson's double to the fence in left centerfield. Any further rally was snuffed out, however, as UC Davis catcher Rachel Miller's heads-up throw behind Johnson at second base caught her too far away from the bag to end the inning.
Fan, who finished 3-for-4 and drove in the first run of the game in the first, then drove in an insurance run in the seventh with an RBI single, plating Kelly Harman, who doubled, to make it 5-3, and Vela shut the door, striking out two around a two-out single by Gabby Aragon to end the game.
Adriana Martinez finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored to pace the Fullerton offense, while Carter, Anissa Young, and Morgan LeMond each added two hits. Amy Nunez added a pair of hits for the Aggies, joining Fan with multiple hits.