STANFORD — The Cal State Fullerton softball team defeated No. 8 national seed Stanford, 8-1, before losing a winner-take-all rematch with the Cardinal, 4-2, in the NCAA regionals on Sunday, ending the Titans’ season.
Fullerton (39-19) won three consecutive elimination games against Saint Mary’s, Mississippi State and Stanford losing its tournament opener against Mississippi State on Friday. The Titans, who won the Big West Conference title, fell one win short of their first super regionals appearance since 2007.
Fullerton pitcher Staci Chambers started Sunday’s first game against Stanford and allowed one run on three hits and a walk in her two innings. Haley Rainey came on in relief in the third inning with the Titans trailing 1-0 and she changed the game’s momentum, striking out the side on her way to five scoreless innings (four hits, no walks, four strikeouts).
Fullerton tied the score in the bottom of the inning. Megan Delgadillo singled and stole second base, then she scored when Peyton Toto sent a ball through the left side of the infield. Delgadillo’s stolen base tied her with South Carolina-Upstate’s Denver Lauer for the most stolen bases (43) in the nation this season.
Jessi Alcala, Kate Verhoef, Delgadillo (RBI), Bailey Wallace (RBI) and Sarah Perez put together five singles in the bottom of the fourth inning to give Fullerton a 3-1 lead. Hannah Becerra then made it 4-1 with an RBI ground ball to second base.
Alcala tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly to left field. Ava Arce scored on the play after reaching second base on a fielding error and throw.
Stanford turned to reliever Alyssa Houston in the sixth, and the Titans kept scoring. Delgadillo opened the inning with a four-pitch walk. Wallace followed with a fielder’s choice before Perez sent a ball down the left-field line for an RBI triple to score Wallace. A fly ball to left field by Toto scored Perez and Arce scored Becerra (walk) with a double off the right field wall to cap the scoring in the 8-1 victory.
Rainey started the winner-take-all rematch and the offense staked her to a two-run lead early. The Titans scored their runs off of three hits and a defensive error in the top of the second inning. Toto started the offensive production with a base hit to left center. Colby McClinton advanced her on a base hit to the right fielder but was called out at second base.
Alcala then smashed a ball down the right-field line for a triple. After being called out at third base, the Titans won the challenge and had a 1-0 lead when Toto scored on the play. Candace Yingling then reached on an error, allowing time for Alcala to score the Titans’ second run from third base.
Stanford answered in the third inning, taking a 4-2 lead after four hits and a Fullerton error. The Titans brought in Leanna Garcia for Rainey and eventually Chambers for Garcia.
Delgadillo stole her 44th base in the loss, breaking her tie with Lauer for the most in the nation this season.
