VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, [2], 3, 4 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 10:10:39 04/21/02 Sun
Author: Jon Ralston
Subject: Softball splits with Titans

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally Published Sunday, April 21, 2002
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tigers earn a split of doubleheader with No. 7 Titans

By Bob Highfill

Record Staff Writer

They lost the first game and didn't score through five innings of the second.

But University of the Pacific's softball team still believed it could salvage a split against mighty Cal State Fullerton.

''We're never out of it,'' Tigers center fielder Estee Okumura said. ''We can come back.''

And come back they did.

Big hits by Barbara Moody and Okumura, coupled with a fine pitching effort from Jen Dacre and Cindy Ball, helped No. 18 Pacific earn a 3-2 victory in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader with No. 7 Cal State Fullerton. Jodie Cox tossed her fourth career no-hitter, and the Titans took the opener 1-0.

The Tigers (35-13, 15-2 Big West) snapped Cal State Fullerton's 32-game winning streak, the nation's longest, and as a result, remained alive for the conference championship. The teams will meet in the rubber game at noon today at Simoni Field.

''You just saw two passionate teams that have been playing well all season,'' said Cal State Fullerton coach Michelle Gromacki, whose team hadn't lost since UCLA took the second game of a doubleheader 5-2 on Feb. 27. ''Those were two good games by two excellent teams playing together.''

Cox (14-4) dominated the first game by mixing speeds and locations. She rolled more than a few to the plate, but the standout junior left-hander was effective throughout. She struck out eight, walked one and allowed one baserunner to reach second. The Tigers didn't hit a ball out of the infield.

The Titans (41-10, 13-1) scored the only run in the first when Gina Oaks opened with a single, took second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on a single by Monica Lucatero.

Ball (21-9) was the tough-luck loser, scattering four hits with eight strikeouts. She also got nicked on her right (pitching) hand during her first at-bat but remained in the game, despite being in obvious discomfort.

In the second game, Dacre and Titans starter Christy Robitaille locked horns and put zeroes on the board through three. Cal State Fullerton broke through for a run in the fourth when Jen Topping singled, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Lucatero and scored on an infield error.

The Titans took a 2-0 lead in the fifth when Julie Watson reached on a fielder's choice with one out and scored when Lucatero walked with the bases loaded. Earlier in the inning, Okumura helped prevent what would have been a big inning with a perfect throw from center field to nab Shawna Robinson at the plate.

''It was a one-hopper that came straight to me, and I heard their third-base coach (Gromacki) telling her to go home,'' Okumura said. ''I made the throw, and (catcher) Ashlie (D'Errico) blocked the plate and made a great tag. That felt great.''

Dacre pitched out of a jam in the sixth, retiring Robinson and Watson with runners at first and second, and the Tigers came to the plate with renewed hope.

''Robitaille was doing a great job, just like Cox, but I could tell our kids were a little more confident in their swings,'' Tigers coach Brian Kolze said. ''Chris is a tremendous pitcher, but sometimes one break is all you need.''

The break came when Barbara Moody singled sharply to center with two on and one out and the ball scooted past Watson and rolled to the fence. Nicole Inouye and Michelle Anunciation scored to tie the game. Okumura then lined Robitaille's initial offering off the right-field fence to plate Moody. Ball returned to pitch the seventh, gave up a two-out double to Lucatero, then struck out Yasmin Mossadeghi to end the game.

''For us, that's the greatest thing ever,'' Okumura said of the split. ''It just gets us hyped up for (today). We know they're beatable, and we're going to come back and do it again.''

* To reach reporter Bob Highfill, phone 546-8299 or e-mail bhighfil@recordnet.com

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.