May 2, 2012
FULLERTON, CA - San Diego State's Hayley Miles finished 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and three RBI and the visiting Aztecs used a pair of six-run innings to hand Cal State Fullerton a 12-4 defeat in six innings on Wednesday night at Anderson Family Field.
The loss dropped the Titans to 19-26 overall on the year heading into its final two Big West Conference series. San Diego State won its ninth-straight to improve to 27-19 overall on the season.
Four players had multiple hits for the Aztecs, who sent 10 batters to the plate in the second inning for the early lead and 12 batters in the sixth to break open what was a two-run game to that point.
Bailey Micetich (13-6), who held the Titans to just two hits a week earlier in San Diego, earned the win in relief, striking out four in a perfect 2 1/3 innings of work. Rebecca Arbino started and suffered the no decision, allowing four unearned runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Starter Katey Laban (1-6), the first of three Fullerton pitchers on the night, suffered the loss for the Titans, allowing two earned on five hits while walking five in just two innings.
A throwing error with no outs in the second scored Ashley Rose for the 1-0 lead before the Aztecs opened the floodgates on a two-run single by Miles and a three-run home run by Patrice Jackson (her eighth of the year) to make it 6-0.
Cal State Fullerton took advantage of San Diego State's lone error on the night in the fourth, turning it into a big inning to claw back within striking distance. Anissa Young's second hit of the night with two outs brought up Gabby Aragon, who reached on a throwing error to extend the inning. Redshirt freshman Eliza Crawford then came to the plate and launched the first pitch from Arbino over the wall in centerfield for her first career home run and make it a, 6-3, ballgame.
The Titans weren't done as Jena Rubio followed with a walk and moved to second on Courtney Snyder's single to left. Sophomore Leesa Harris then brought home Fullerton's fourth run with a bounding single back up the middle, scoring Rubio to make it 6-4. Ashley Carter followed with a single back up the middle to load the bases and knock Arbino from the game, but Micetich came in and slammed the door, getting pinch hitter Morgan LeMond to pop up and end the inning.
Both teams went down in order in the fifth before San Diego State broke it open in the sixth as three straight hits to start the inning was capped by Lorena Klopp's 12th home run of the season for a 9-4 advantage. A pair of errors led to the 10th run before Kamerin May and Miles drove home the final two runs of the contest on a single and sacrifice fly to cap the scoring.
Seven of the nine Aztecs starters finished with hits on the night, including two apiece from Kayla Jordan, Jackson, and Rose, to join Miles with multiple hits on the night. Young's two hits paced Fullerton's offense.
Cal State Fullerton continues its season-ending seven-game home stand this weekend as the Titans host rival Long Beach State at Anderson Family Field. The series kicks-off with a nationally televised doubleheader on Saturday (May 5) at 2:30 p.m., before closing out with a single game on Sunday (May 6) at noon.