FULLERTON, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton softball team fell to No. 10 UCLA, 13-11, in its first midweek game of the season Tuesday at Anderson Family Field. This loss moved the Titans to 24-12 overall and upheld a 13-game losing streak against the Bruins dating back to 2018. 

Eva Hurtado made her 15th start in the circle without recording an out, forcing head coach Gina Oaks Garcia to call on Leanna Garcia from the bullpen. Hurtado issued four walks before the Bruins jumped to a 2-0 lead, before Garcia gave up a grand slam to trail 6-0. 

Cal State Fullerton responded in the bottom of the first, loading the bases with Sarah Perez, Colby McClinton and Alexia Lopez. Nataly Lozano cut UCLA's lead to 6-2 on a two-run single, while Lulu Sanchez walked in a run, and Maggie Paulovich added a sacrifice fly as the Titans plated two additional runs to tie the game at 6-6. 

UCLA regained a 7-6 lead in the second, but Lopez tied the game at 7-7 with her seventh career home run. Lopez (3-for-4) hit .364 against the Bruins with two runs batted in and three runs scored. 

ALL TIED UP!

Alexia Lopez evened the game at 7-7 in the second inning on a solo shot to center field, her seventh home run of the season. #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/0NrBnK9KQy

— Titans Softball (@Fullerton_SB) April 8, 2026

The Bruins pushed ahead, 9-7, in the third inning on a two-run home run. After Garcia loaded the bases with her sixth walk, Trisha McCleskey entered in relief and struck out two batters to keep the game within reach. 

The Titans kept pace with the nationally-ranked Bruins in the bottom of the third. Perez hit her second infield single, and back-to-back RBI doubles from McClinton and Lopez tied the game at 9-9. 

Colby McClinton and Alexia Lopez hit back-to-back RBI doubles to tie the game at 9-9 in the third! #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/tgltmsry6j

— Titans Softball (@Fullerton_SB) April 8, 2026

Sarah Coccillos then reached on an error that allowed the go-ahead run to score, while another UCLA fielding error plated another Titan run for an 11-9 advantage. 

The Titans and Bruins went scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings before UCLA sliced Fullerton's lead to 11-10 on a solo home run in the sixth inning. 

The Bruins overtook the lead from the Titans in the seventh with an RBI triple under the glove of a diving Sophia Newcomb in right field and a two-run home run. Trailing 13-11 in the bottom of the seventh, the Titans struggled to find any momentum, going down in order. 

McCleskey (12-8) took the loss after allowing four runs on four hits and a walk over 4.2 innings of work. She collected six of the 10 strikeouts, while Garcia accounted for the previous four. 

The Titans return to Anderson Family Field this weekend to host UC Riverside in a doubleheader on Thursday, April 9, at 5 and 7 p.m., followed by a single game on Friday at 6 p.m. 

SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitansTickets.com. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan Baseball ticketing office and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.

FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), X (@FullertonTitans), Instagram (@FullertonTitans), YouTube (FullertonTitansAthletics) and TikTok (@FullertonTitans). In addition, the softball team has established its own Instagram (@Fullerton_sb) and X accounts (@Fullerton_sb).

WATCH THE TITANS ON ESPN+
Titans fans can now watch home contests exclusively on ESPN+. Cal State Fullerton has built a top-tier production studio to give the viewers an ESPN-quality production for Titans Athletics. Additionally, all schools in the Big West Conference are committed to producing ESPN-quality streams, which will allow fans to watch the Titans on ESPN+ for all road conference games.