FULLERTON, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton softball team earned their first walk-off win of the season in extra innings against the University of San Diego on Wednesday night. The Titans improve to 8-3 on the season, with a home record of 5-1.
Ava Arce became the hero of the night in the eighth inning, driving in auto-runner
Colby McClinton on a home run hit over the wall in right-center field. Arce (2-for-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R) leads the Titans in batting average (.517), slugging (.793), hits (15), runs batted in (17), doubles (5) and total bases (23).
Before securing the 5-3 victory, the Titans jumped to an early 1-0 lead over the Toreros in the bottom of the first inning. McClinton reached first after placing a bunt down the first base line to score
Kristalyn Romulo (single).
San Diego responded in the fourth inning with a double into right center, tying the game at 1-1. Two innings later, Arce collected her fifth double and 15th RBI of the season to retake a 2-1 Titan lead.
The Toreros did not go down without a fight, tying the game and taking the lead, 3-2, on a pair of base hits.
Sarah Perez matched San Diego's third run in the bottom of the seventh on a single to the shortstop that was paired with strategic base running by the scoring
Kate Verhoef.
Leanna Garcia, who became the third Titan to pitch, retired two straight batters before leaving San Diego's runner stranded at third base in the eighth inning. Arce led off the bottom half of the inning, smashing the first pitch over the wall to end the game in walk-off fashion.
Eva Hurtado earned her first collegiate start in the circle, allowing just one run and retiring five batters on strikes through four innings.
Trisha McCleskey entered in relief for Hurtado in the fifth, allowing two runs on four hits, before Garcia (1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 K) closed out the game and earned her fifth win of the season.
The Titans travel to Cathedral City for the annual Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Thursday. They are slated to face No. 9 Arkansas at 12:00 p.m. and Cal at 3:00 p.m. in their first of three days at the tournament.
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