Fresno State Athletics
Cal State Fullerton Eliminates Stanford
5/18/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 18, 2002
FRESNO, Calif. - Gina Oaks threw a complete-game four-hitter as No. 1-seeded Cal State Fullerton eliminated second-seeded Stanford from the NCAA Region IV Championships with a 4-1 victory at Bulldog Diamond. With the win, the Titans advance to Sunday's championship game against third-seeded California at noon.
Stanford got on the baord right off the bat by scoring its only run of the game in the first inning. A single by Jessica Allister drove in the Cardinal run.
The Titans put two runs on the board in the top of the third in remarkable fashion. Center fielder Krista O'Hanian started off with a single. Two outs later, she was still at first base when Stanford pitcher Tori Nyberg suddenly lost her control, walking Jenny Topping and Monica Lucatero back-to-back. After a single from both left fielder Yasmin Mossadeghi and third baseman Amy LaRocque, O'Hanian and Topping scored, making it 2-1, CSF.
It remained 2-1 until the Titans added another in the fourth, when they added a run. CSF added its final run of the game on a long home run over the wall in left-center by Lucatero.
Leading the way for Stanford was shortstop Robin Walker, who recorded two hits. Nyberg took the loss after last just four innings. She allowed five hits, four runs, had two strikeouts and three walks.
For Cal State Fullerton, Oaks earned the win after allowing just one run on four hits, with seven strikeouts and two walks. She improved her record to 22-3.
Cal State Fullerton, 3-1 in the Regional, will need to knock off the Golden Bears twice tomorrow in order to book a ticket to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. California, by virtue of its perfect 3-0 mark, needs only to defeat the Titans once tomorrow. Should a second game be necessary, it will begin 35 minutes after the conclusion of the noon contest.
