HONOLULU – The Cal State Fullerton softball team won its series against Hawai'i, 2-1. The Titans dropped the series opener, 3-0, before defeating the Rainbow Wahine with 7-5 and 6-5 victories in Sunday's doubleheader.Â
The Titans and Hawai'i attempted to open the series on Thursday night, but heavy rains suspended the game in the fourth inning. The game was halted and resumed Sunday morning before the doubleheader. With approval from the Big West and agreement from both coaching staffs and administrators, all three games were successfully completed on Sunday.
Hawaii'i 3, Cal State Fullerton 0Â
Hawai'i entered Sunday with a 1-0 lead over the Titans after scoring on a fielding error in the second inning Thursday night. The Rainbow Wahine pushed to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly.Â
The Titans found just one hit over the final three innings, which came from Kaneohe, Hawai'i native
Colby McClinton.Â
Trisha McCleskey (9-7), who started Thursday's game in the circle, was charged with the loss after issuing three walks and allowing an unearned run through 1.2 innings. Despite the loss, McCleskey did not give up a hit and struck out one batter.Â
Leanna Garcia allowed two earned runs on five hits over 4.1 innings of work, recording two walks and two strikeouts.Â
Cal State Fullerton 7, Hawai'i 5
Fullerton's bats came alive in the third inning of the second game.
Kate Verhoef (bunt) and
Colby McClinton (single) put runners on the corners with back-to-back hits. A double steal by the pair scored Verhoef for the first Titan run and lead of the series.
Nataly Lozano (3-for-3, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB) extended Fullerton's lead to 2-0 on a stand-up double to left-center field later that inning.Â
Verhoef made her fourth outfield assist of the year in the bottom of the third, finding
Alexia Lopez at the plate to end the inning and keep Hawai'i scoreless.Â
Hawai'i responded in the fourth inning with a solo home run to center field, trimming Fullerton's lead to 2-1.
The Titans then answered with a four-run rally in the fifth inning behind two home runs, a double and two walks.
Alexia Lopez led off with the fifth home run of her career, extending the Titans' lead to 3-1.
Sarah Coccillos followed with her second walk of the game before
Briona Ferdman entered as a pinch runner and stole second with two outs. After Lozano doubled for the second time in the game, Arce delivered a two-run home run to center field, extending the Titans' advantage to 6-1.
Eva Hurtado held the Rainbow Wahine to one run on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts over 4.2 innings. After loading the bases in the fifth,
Trisha McCleskey entered in relief and walked in a run on a four-pitch walk. An infield single drove in two more runs for Hawai'i, closing Fullerton's lead to 6-4.
A fielding error by the Titans allowed Hawai'i to add another run, cutting the deficit to 6-5 heading into the seventh, where Arce added an insurance run in a rally with Coccillos and Lozano.Â
A brief rain delay stopped the game before the Titans left the bases loaded with a 7-5 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Fullerton turned to Garcia to close the game. Arce made a diving play near home plate for the first out before a walk loaded the bases for Hawai'i. Garcia then struck out the next batter swinging, and a groundout ended the game as the Titans evened the series at 1-1.
Cal State Fullerton 6, Hawai'i 5
The Titans recorded 12 hits and six RBI, including three home runs from Arce and Lozano, in the weekend's final game.Â
Hawai'i opened the series finale with a grand slam in the first inning after the Titans committed two errors. Arce (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI) started the scoring for the Titans in the second inning with her second two-run homer of the day, slicing the Rainbow Wahine's lead in half, 4-2.Â
Lozano (2-for-2, R, HR, 2 2B, 3 RBI), evened the score at 4-4 in the fourth inning with a two-run home run. Arce followed with a solo home run to give the Titans a 5-4 lead, the first back-to-back home runs the Titans have hit since Daisy Munoz and Deshea Hill against Dixie State in 2022.Â
The Titans found their sixth run of the game in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly to right field by Lozano, extending their lead to 6-4. Hawai'i answered with a seventh-inning home run, but McCleskey and her defense secured the 6-5 win, retiring the Rainbow Wahine in order to complete the series win.Â
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