FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton (12-16) lost both games of their Saturday double-header, falling to Grand Canyon (18-16) in extras and being over-powered by Nebraska (19-9).
Sophie Frost once again got the start in the circle for game one of the day and once again, she went the distance. Her sixth consecutive CG was another eight-inning outing as she allowed five runs (one earned) on 10 hits and just one walk.
Offensively, the Titans only strung together six hits with nobody getting a multi-hit game and all of them were singles.
It started out rough for Fullerton as Grand Canyon struck for four runs on five hits straight out of the gate. After that it was cruise mode for Frost as she through six straight scoreless innings giving her offense a chance to get back into it.
Even though it took awhile, the bats got going and the Titans came back to tie it in the sixth. A two-RBI single from Julia Valenzuela plated the first runs in the fifth and a two-RBI single from Irieanna Siofele in the sixth would tie it up. For Siofele, it was just her second plate appearance since getting injured back in the second game of the season (her first PA was a walk).
After both pitchers recorded 1-2-3 innings in their respective halves of the seventh, the fans got some free softball at Anderson Family Field. It was short-lived, however, as the Lopes plated a run in the top half of the eighth and the Titans could not answer back in the bottom half.
The 4-3 loss marked the Titans first loss in extra innings this year.
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As is the case on most tournament days, it was a quick turnaround as Fullerton got ready to face off against the Huskers of Nebraska.
Hannah Johnson got the start for this one and didn't last long. After recording a leadoff out, she would surrender a single followed by a two-run home run. Later in the same inning, the Huskers went deep again, this time a three-run shot. Johnson last 0.2 innings before being lifted for Kenzie Grimes.
Grimes did a phenomenal job surrendering just two runs in her 6.1 innings of work. Both runs came off solo shots with one in the third, and the second in the seventh.
The Huskers hit four home runs in the game and three of them came off the bat of Kaylan Jablonski. She finished the game 3-4 with 4 RBI.
Meanwhile, the Fullerton offense couldn't get the timely hits they needed despite out-hitting Nebraska 11-7. Vandiver had another nice game going 3-4 out of the two-spot. Zoe Richard, Ari Williams, and Shianne Brannan all recorded two hits in the contest, while Bryanna Ybarra and Jody Cova each recorded one.
Vandiver's three knocks matched her career-best and is the third three-hit contest of her season. For Cova, the sixth inning single through the right side goes down as her first career hit as a Titan.
In terms of run scoring, the Titans only managed one against the Huskers and it came in the sixth inning. After a pair of singles from Williams and Ybarra, Brannan came through with a hot shot into left field for an RBI single.
That would be it for the Titans as they fell to the Huskers 7-1.
Fullerton is back in action tomorrow as they face the defending champion Oklahoma Sooners at 12:30 p.m.
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