April 19, 2008

Box Score - Game One | Box Score - Game Two

STOCKTON, CA - The Cal State Fullerton softball team posted a pair of shutout victories in its doubleheader sweep of Pacific on Saturday afternoon as the Titans defeated the Tigers 8-0 in five innings in the opener and 4-0 in the nightcap at Bill Simoni Field in Stockton, Calif.

The win clinched Fullerton's second Big West Conference series win of the year as the Titans improved to 21-22-1 overall and 5-6 in league play. Pacific fell to 22-27 overall, 4-7 in conference play with the losses.

Seniors Kiki Munoz and Katie Gollhardt each finished with four hits on the day as Munoz went 3-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI in the opener while Gollhardt ended up 3-for-3 with an RBI in game two.

Senior right-hander Jessica Doucette and freshman Christine Hiner earned the wins in the circle, Doucette (11-10) going the distance in the opener, allowing two hits and striking out four before pitching the seventh inning of the nightcap, striking out two while allowing a hit to nail down the win. Hiner (10-11) scattered nine hits through six shutout innings in the nightcap, striking out five without a walk.

In the opener, Munoz gave Fullerton the early advantage with her third home run of the season with two outs in the first and added a two-run blast in the fifth as the Titans broke open a close game late.

Cal State Fullerton opened the floodgates with five unearned runs in the fourth as a pair of singles and an error with one out loaded the bases for the Titans to start things off. Freshman K.C. Craddick then looped a fly ball into left for what would have been the second out, but the ball deflected off the glove of the fielder, rolling into foul territory and allowing two runs to score.

After Chelsea Engle (14-14) got a strikeout for what should have been the final out of the inning, Jenna Wheeler stepped to the plate with a pair in scoring position and launched a ball deep to left that continued to carry out of the park for her first home run of the season and a 6-0 advantage.

A single and a fielder's choice led things off for the Titans in the fifth to bring Munoz to the plate, who doubled her season home run total to this point with her second round-tripper of the game to make it 8-0.

Pacific put together a late rally with a two-out walk and a single, but Doucette struck out Brittany Hendrickson looking to end the game. Doucette retired 10 consecutive batters at one point and allowed only one runner to reach second base.

Game two saw the Titans strike first once again as Crystal Vieyra's RBI double gave Fullerton the 1-0 lead and the visitors added two more in the fourth on an RBI single by Gollhardt and an error on Sheila Holguin's fly ball with the bases loaded to make it 3-0.

Another dropped fly ball in the seventh led to Fullerton's fourth run as the Titans held the Tigers off the scoreboard for the second straight game.

Pacific, led by Nicole Matson's 3-for-3 day at the plate, stranded four runners in scoring position - three of those at third base, including Matson twice. Hendrickson and Casey Goldsand also finished with a pair of hits for the Tigers, who outhit the Titans, 10-7, for the game.

Alyce Jorgensen (5-8) suffered the loss for Pacific in game two, allowing three earned on seven hits and striking out seven.

The two teams conclude their three-game series on Sunday afternoon (April 20) at 12 p.m. in Stockton, Calif.