March 12, 2008

Box Score

LOS ANGELES, CA - Freshman Torrie Anderson's sacrifice fly to centerfield plated pinch-runner Ari Cervantes with the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning and visiting Cal State Fullerton stranded the tying run at third as the Titans upset No. 2 UCLA, 1-0, on Wednesday afternoon at Easton Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.

The victory was Fullerton's second over a top-five school this season as the Titans improved to 13-10-1 overall on the year. UCLA's 19-game winning streak was snapped in the process as the Bruins fell to 25-3 overall.

The two teams battled through seven scoreless before Cal State Fullerton rallied for the winning run under international tie-breaker conditions. Cervantes was placed on second and was moved to third on a sacrifice by Jenna Wheeler to bring Anderson to the plate.

Anderson then lifted the first pitch from UCLA's Anjelica Selden (12-2) into centerfield, setting up a play at the plate. The Bruins' Katie Schroeder delivered a strike to the plate, but Cervantes slid under the tag of catcher Jennifer Schroeder to put the Titans ahead.

UCLA had a chance to tie it in the bottom of the inning, moving pinch runner Grace Murray to third, but Fullerton right-hander Jessica Doucette (7-4) nailed down the win, getting a ground ball and fly out to end the game and snap the Titans' four-game losing streak to the Bruins.

Doucette scattered just four hits and struck out three in winning her fifth consecutive start, stranding six base runners on the day - five of those in scoring position and three of those at third base in the third, sixth, and eighth innings.

Selden struck out nine and allowed the unearned run on just two hits in the complete-game loss.

Courtney Martinez and Kiki Munoz accounted for the Titans' only two hits on the day, smacking singles in the second and seventh innings, respectively.

Fullerton's best chance to score in regulation came in the seventh as Munoz singled with two outs and moved to second when Martinez was hit by a pitch. However, Selden escaped the jam with a strikeout to eventually force extra innings.

The Titans return to the diamond on Friday afternoon (March 14) as they take on Iowa State and San Diego State at the San Diego Classic II hosted by the Aztecs and the University of San Diego.