Cal State Fullerton’s sophomore outfielder Samantha Vandiver hit three-for-12 during the Long Beach State Tournament over the weekend. The Titans were victorious in all five of their games, improving their overall record to 18-8.
(Nolan Motis/Daily Titan)
The Cal State Fullerton softball team (18-8 overall) cleaned house during the Louisville Slugger Invitational hosted by Long Beach State, winning all five games at the 49er Softball Complex over the weekend.
Friday
The Titans began the tournament with a 9-2 win over the Utah Valley Wolverines. The tournament opener saw nine different Titans get hits, including Alexis Gonzalez, Ariana Williams and Shianne Brannan, who got one hit and two RBIs each.
Fullerton was efficient, getting nine hits, nine runs and nine RBIs. Sydney Golden held the Wolverines in check, keeping them to four hits in five innings pitched. She struck out three batters and did not give up a run.
Saturday
CSUF initiated the second day of the tournament with a 2-0 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The Titans struggled at the plate, as their only hits came in the top of the third inning. However, one productive inning is all it would take to come out on top. With runners in scoring position, Missy Taukeiaho doubled to right field, bringing in Delynn Rippy and Williams.
Desiree Ybarra was dominant in the circle, as she gave up four hits but no runs in a seven inning, shutout performance.
The Titans went on to play their second game of the day against Princeton, defeating the Tigers 4-0.
On the offensive side, Taukeiaho led Fullerton with two hits, two RBIs and a run. Gonzalez recorded two hits and an RBI, while Brannan earned two hits and a run on two at-bats.
Cerissa Rivera dictated the game from the circle, pitching a complete game and giving up just two hits and one walk with six strikeouts.
Sunday
The Titans nearly lost their sweep of the tournament in the first game on Sunday against the Iowa State Cyclones, entering the seventh inning trailing 1-0 to the Cyclones. The 2-1 victory gave the Titans their fourth consecutive victory.
Iowa State scored its only run in the second inning, forcing a stagnant Fullerton offense to play from behind until the seventh inning.
With two outs in the top of the seventh, Sydney Colenzo doubled to second and reached third on an error in right field. The Titans were in a precarious position as they could not hit a sacrifice fly to score the runner at third.
Fortunately for CSUF, Brannan, the next batter, walked, putting runners on first and third. Rippy stepped up to the plate and tripled to right center to bring in Brannan and pinch runner Williams.
The Titans held off the Cyclones in the bottom of the seventh and claimed victory.
In final game, Fullerton faced another thriller in a rematch against Mississippi State that saw the Titans come out on top 3-2.
The Titans took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second thanks to a well-executed squeeze play by Brannan, which allowed Williams to score.
Mississippi State tied the game the following inning and took the lead in the fourth. In the bottom of the fifth, Gonzalez hit a single up the middle but was thrown out after attempting to advance past second base to third, but not before Rippy had the opportunity to score and tie the game 2-2.
The Titans came right back in the sixth inning when Sydney Colenzo single to right field, allowing Ybarra to take the go-ahead run.
Golden kept the Bulldogs in check in the top of the seventh and clinched the Titans’ fifth straight win.
The Titans return to Anderson Family Field on Tuesday for a double-header against Yale at 4 p.m. and Princeton at 6 p.m.