April 29, 2012
NORTHRIDGE, CA - Redshirt sophomore Gabby Aragon finished 3-for-3 to help power Cal State Fullerton to a season-high 17 hits on the day while freshman Desiree Ybarra held host Cal State Northridge to just a single hit, lifting the Titans to an 11-0 victory over the Matadors in five innings on Sunday afternoon at Matador Diamond.
Fullerton won its third Big West Conference series of the season, improving to 19-25 overall and 7-8 in league play. Northridge fell to 10-36 overall with the loss and 5-10 in the conference.
Ybarra (13-13) got more than enough support, carrying a no-hit bid into the third until a Tiffini Lucero single up the middle, and allowing just three base runners in the complete-game shutout -- her third of the season. Crystal Maas (0-6), the second of four Matador pitchers on the day, was charged with the loss, tagged for four earned runs on three hits in just one-third of an inning, facing six batters.
The 17 hits -- all singles -- bested the previous high of 15 base hits accomplished twice this season against Santa Clara on Feb. 18 and again against Purdue on March 14. The 11 runs were the most since the Titans scored 13 times against Utah State on March 11 in Lakewood, Calif., and could have been more as they left 10 runners on base for the game - five in scoring position.
Cal State Fullerton's victory came with two big innings on Sunday, sending nine batters to the plate as part of a four-run third inning and 12 batters during a seven-run fourth.
The Titans loaded the bases with one out in the fourth as Morgan LeMond's single up the middle drove home the only run Fullerton would need. A walk to Jena Rubio scored a second run and, two batters later, Leesa Harris drove home a pair with a single to left to make it 4-0.
In the fourth, the first five batters of the inning reached safely via a hit or walk as an illegal pitch plated the first run of the frame and Aragon and LeMond later added RBI singles to make it 7-0. A pair of throwing errors and sacrifice fly by Ashley Carter plated three more and Adriana Martinez capped the scoring with an RBI single to right field for the final 11-0 count.
Aragon, who extended her hitting streak to five games in the victory, led a group of five Fullerton batters with multiple hits on the day while six different Titans drove in runs.
Fullerton will play within the friendly confines of Anderson Family Field for its final seven games of the regular season, beginning on Wednesday (May 2) at 6 p.m. against San Diego State. The Titans then host Long Beach State in a nationally televised ESPNU doubleheader on Saturday (May 5) beginning at 2:30 p.m. and a single game on Sunday (May 6) at noon.