Cal State Fullerton softball was met with sunny skies, warm temperatures, and a ballpark eager for the Titans to showcase their skills in their final tournament of the season as the host team at the Easton Invitational.
The Titans spent the stereotypically Californian weekend playing against teams from across the nation in the comfort of their own backyard, to the tune of a 3-1 record in weekend play.
Kicking things off the right way, the Titans fought the Boston University Terriers on Thursday in the Easton Invitational opener, defeating the visitors 3-1.
The Titans got off to an early lead against the Terriers, scoring all three of their runs against Boston within the first two innings.
Freshman Alexa Neil and junior Ireanna Siofele anchored the Titans offense with a combined three runs, four hits, and an RBI. The tag-team effort of freshman right-hander Dani Martinez and three-year veteran Sophie Frost that limited the Terriers to just one run and eight hits over the course of the game.
However, that wouldn’t be the extent of Frost and Martinez’s work over the weekend, as the two switched roles the following day against Harvard as Frost earned the start.
The Titans were neck-and-neck with Harvard in a pitching battle between Frost and left-hander Katie Duncan, with both teams scoreless through the first three innings.
T6 | Filthy.@SophiaIsabellaa with her NINTH strikeout of the ballgame! ?????????????????? pic.twitter.com/GnuWHhoaMk
— Titans Softball (@Fullerton_SB) March 17, 2019
The Crimson opened the scoring when freshman Teagan Shaw notched a double to left field to score Kaitlyn Schiffhauer.
The rest of the inning did not get any better for Frost, who gave up a two-run homer and afforded Harvard an emphatic 3-0 lead, but the Titans’ defense closed out the remainder of the inning without allowing any runs.
A quick comeback in the bottom of the third and a pair of scoring runs in the bottom of the sixth would not be enough to overcome Harvard’s one run lead as both teams got shutout in the seventh.
Titan fans who came to catch CSUF take on DePaul University the following day saw a thrilling performance.
Aside from a run which DePaul nabbed to open the scoring in the second inning, the Titans’ concert of explosive offense and steadfast pitching joined to take DePaul out by four runs when the match came to its conclusion.
Martinez handed out six strikeouts, five hits and a run over the course of nearly a whole game, save ? innings which Frost kept scoreless.
The Bellflower, California native now has five games under her belt pitching six or more innings. To her credit, Martinez has gone 3-2 in those games, something the Titans will surely bank on as the freshman progresses throughout her inaugural season and her career at Cal State Fullerton.
Martinez was not the only freshman to impress on Saturday however. Utility player Alexa Neil went a career high three for three for the Titans on Saturday, with a home run and two RBIs to boot.
Fueled by a decisive win against DePaul, the Titans again looked confident against College of Charleston, their final opponent of the invitational and of the weekend.
What eventually became a 7-1 blowout at Anderson Family Field began with a tenacious Titan effort at the plate that paved the way to a definitive win.
Siofele helped open up the scoring, sending a trademark single dribbling down the middle of the field that fell right under the glove of Charleston shortstop, Kelly Sinclair, giving Jasmyn Vigilante enough time to touch up at home for the game’s first run.
B3 | @ISiofele ropes it into the left-center gap for a 2 RBI double!
Make it a 5-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/cGy0LDzPeP
— Titans Softball (@Fullerton_SB) March 17, 2019
The following inning, Siofele hit a double just after teammate, Deshea Hill, hit her own, both of which contributed to the four Titan runs in the bottom of the third. Siofele had a hand in two of the four runs, stealing home after her two-base hit to end the scoring for the inning.
Siofele held that being the aggressor made all the difference in the Titans’ rejuvenated hitting as of late, stating that, “We weren’t waiting for our pitches to come, we were just going after them.”
And the numbers seemed to back her up. Two CSUF hitters went two for two at the plate and of the Fullerton lineup who had more than one at bat, only one could not muster a hit on the afternoon.
It came as no surprise that Frost took the circle a day after Martinez had gotten the start, the two were inseparable and interchangeable throughout weekend.
“I rely so much on my defense just because I know if they have my back, I don’t have to worry about anything,” Frost said after a game in which she and her defense allowed one run, one error, and nine strikeouts.
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