Big West Postgame Press Conference
FULLERTON, Calif. – The No. 1-seeded Cal State Fullerton softball team defeated No. 4 UC Davis in a 4-0 win on Thursday at the Big West Championship. The Titans improved to 38-13 overall and 1-0 at the tournament.
Big West Field Player of the Year
Sarah Perez (2-for-3, RBI, R) slapped a ball into shallow left field to lead off the bottom of the first inning.
Colby McClinton moved her into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt before cleanup hitter
Ava Arce (2-for-2, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI) cleared the bases with a home run to center field.
The home run marked Arce's eighth of the season and her first since March 21 against UC San Diego. The senior recorded the 122nd RBI of her four-year career, leaving her three shy of surpassing Deshea Hill for the program's 10th-most record of 124 RBI set from 2018-23.
Starting pitcher
Eva Hurtado survived a bases-loaded jam with a swinging strikeout in the second inning. The Titans maintained their momentum in the bottom half of the inning as
Lulu Sanchez (2-for-3, 2B, R, RBI) scored
Maggie Paulovich with a single up the middle, and Perez drove in Sanchez to extend Fullerton's lead to 4-0.
The Titans turned their 30th double play of the season in the fourth inning to escape another bases-loaded threat. Perez, McClinton and Arce combined to get two outs.
With two outs and
Kate Verhoef (1-for-2, BB, SB) occupying second base in the bottom half, freshman
Gianna Lomeli entered as a pinch hitter and recorded her first collegiate hit with a single to right field. Verhoef attempted to round third but was tagged out at home to end the inning.
Trisha McCleskey entered the game in relief of
Eva Hurtado in the fifth inning. Over four innings, Hurtado (15-4) used 67 pitches to hold the Aggies scoreless. UC Davis found three hits and two walks against the right-hander, while striking out four times.
McCleskey worked through three innings of relief, allowing two hits with one walk and a strikeout. A wild pitch in the seventh inning allowed UC Davis to advance two runners into scoring position with one out. However, putouts by Paulovich and McClinton secured the 4-0 shutout.
The Titans remain in the winners bracket and will face the winner between No. 3 UC Santa Barbara and No. 2 Hawai'i on Friday, May 8, at 1 p.m.
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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.
