FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton (28-15, 8-2 BWC) defeated Hawai'i (27-11, 8-2 BWC) by the score of 4-2 in the series opener on Friday night. The victory puts the Titans back in a tie for first place in the Big West standings.
Dani Martinez got the start in the circle for game one of the weekend as she continued her success with her first seven-inning complete game and matching her career-best with eight strikeouts.
Fullerton got the scoring started in the bottom of the first as Janelle Rodriguez laid down a perfect bunt on the squeeze play to bring in Alexa Neil from third.
After a shutdown top of the second, Fullerton came back with three more in the second as four straight Titans reached capped off by back-to-back doubles from Kelsie Whitmore and Neil to give CSF an early 4-0 lead.
The Rainbow Wahine would snap Martinez's streak of nine-straight retired with a pair of one-out hits and a sac fly to get on the board in the fourth and Callee Heen would hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh, but that would serve as the only scoring for Hawai'i.
With the win, the Titans are now 19-1 when scoring first, 16-0 when leading after five innings, and 17-0 when leading after six.
TOP PERFORMERS
Alexa Neil: 3-for-3, 2B, RBI, R
Kelsie Whitmore: 1-for-2, 2B, RBI, R
Sam Kennedy: 1-for-3, R
Dani Martinez (W, 11-5): 7 IP, 4H, 2ER, 0BB, 8K
Fullerton and Hawai'i will face each other in a doubleheader tomorrow to wrap up the series starting at 2:00 p.m.
SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.
FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans), and Instagram (FullertonTitans). In addition, the softball team has established its own Twitter (@Fullerton_SB) and Instagram accounts (@Fullerton_SB).