2003 NCAA Regional Highlights - Day One May 15, 2003 – Fullerton, Calif.
#4 Louisiana-Lafayette 6, #5 San Diego State 0 Louisiana-Lafayette's Brooke Mitchell threw her fourth no-hitter
this season and three different ULL players slugged home runs on the day
to lead the fourth-seeded Ragin' Cajuns to a 6-0 victory in game one of
the NCAA Regional Softball Championships at the Titan Softball Complex.
ULL improved to 44-8 and moves on to face the winner of the Cal State
Fullerton-Rider match-up on Friday morning at 11:30 a.m. San Diego State
fell to 37-19 and fell into the losers bracket to face the loser of the
Cal State Fullerton-Rider contest.
Danyele Gomez (solo), Becky McMurtry (two-run) and Tiffany Grayson (three-run)
provided all the offense the Ragin' Cajuns would need on home run as Mitchell
silenced the Aztecs bats, striking out six in improving to 23-6 overall.
SDSU's Celena Velasquez (15-8), allowing six runs on seven hits and striking
out five.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Louisiana-Lafayette Head Coach Stefni Lotief:
"It was a great way to start off the tournament. The kids came ready
to play, swung the bats well, played sound defense and we had a sound
pitching performance."
San Diego State starting pitcher Celena Velasquez:
"They were very aggressive and it seemed like they got hits when
they
needed it."
#1 Cal State Fullerton 3, #8 Rider University 0 Amy LaRocque drove in all three runs for Cal State Fullerton
and senior Jodie Cox tossed a three-hit shutout as the top-seeded Titans
advanced to the second round with a 3-0 victory over No. 8 Rider on Thursday
afternoon at the Titan Softball Complex.
Cal State Fullerton improved to 40-13 overall and advanced to the second
round to face Louisiana-Lafayette on Friday at 11:30 a.m. Rider fell to
24-24 and will meet San Diego State in an elimination game on Thursday
night at approximately 7 p.m.
LaRocque got the Titans on the board in the fourth after Fullerton loaded
the bases, sending a short flyball into left field which was caught after
a spectacular dive by the fielder, Kiera Fox. That allowed pinchrunner
Kellie Cox to scamper home for the 1-0 lead.
It stayed that way until the sixth inning when the Titans put two on to
bring up LaRocque once again, who promptly doubled over the left fielder's
head to bring both home and put Fullerton up, 3-0.
Cox (20-7) then did the rest, striking out the side in the seventh to
end the game. She scattered just three hits and struck out 11 batters
on the day. Heather Beintema (16-8) suffered the loss, allowing just one
earned run on four hits, striking out six.
CSUF Head Coach Michelle Gromacki:
"One down, four to go. It was a good first-game battle. We got some
key hits, we executed when we needed to execute and Jodie held them."
"We worked hard to play our game and it's about what we're doing
on the field ... We really didn't pay attention to what we didn't know
about them."
CSUF starting pitcher Jodie Cox:
"We had a really good week of practice and people were a little anxious
to so things. It doesn't matter who were were playing ... we still have
a job to do."
CSUF 3B Amy LaRocque:
"This whole game was about making adjustments. In my last at-bat,
I just knew it was going to happen and everything just fell into place."
Rider Head Coach Tricia Carroll:
"I thought we played really well minus a couple of plays and we're
a little disappointed we couldn't push a couple runs across the plate.
We made a couple of mental mistakes that cost us some runs ... Fullerton's
a great team and they capitalized on our mistakes."
Rider starting pitcher Heather Beintema:
"I'm really pleased with our performance except for those couple
of mistakes. We came out here knowing it was going to be a challenge and
we came out here ready to face it."
" Any team that steps on the field, I think we have a chance to beat,
and we need to go out there thinking that and believing that because that's
what will win our games. We did that back in Jersey and that's what we
need to do here."
#3 Oregon 10, #6 Penn State 8 Andrea Vidlund's 3-run home run put No. 3-seeded Oregon (33-17)
ahead to stay at 5-4 and she and the Ducks held on for a 10-8 win over
No. 7-seed Penn State in the NCAA Softball Regional Tournament at Cal
State Fullerton.
Vidlund's long blast off loser Marisa Hanson (13-10) overcame a 2-run
Nittany Lion (30-22) rally in the top of the fifth. The Ducks added 5
runs in the sixth inning and then watched Vidlund survive a 4-run seventh
inning to record her ninth save. Reliever Anissa Meashintubby (7-4) got
the win in relief of Amy Harris.
A 3-run double by Erica Greenberg got Penn State within striking distance
in the seventh and the Lions put the tying runs in scoring position with
only one out. But Vidlund got a ground out and a srike out.
Penn State Coach Robin Petrini:
"I felt when they hit the 3-run home run, it kind of took a little
wind out of our sails. Most teams would have pulled in the pup tent and
we fought right back and we got down to them having to get the last batter
out."
Oregon Coach Kathy Arendsen:
"We're really pleased to get off to a good start. We stepped up when
we had to. Andrea's home run was massive for us. I'm proud of our effort.
Amy (Harris) had the freshman jitters. We know we have a deep pitching
staff and she was struggling with her command."
Oregon pitcher Andrea Vidlund:
"I was just thinking base hit. The pitch was inside, belt high"
#2 Oklahoma State 1, #7 Boston University 0 Cowgirls right fielder Crystal Lee blasted a 3-2 pitch over the
left centerfield fence to leadoff the bottom of the seventh to send Oklahoma
State to a 1-0 victory over Boston University on Thursday night at the
2003 NCAA Regional Championships at Cal State Fullerton.
The Cowgirls improved to 38-13 overall and will meet third-seeded Oregon
on Friday at 2 p.m. The Terriers fell to 33-22 and will meet Penn State
on Friday morning at 9 a.m. in an elimination game.
Lauren Bay (25-8) earned the victory, allowing just a single hit -- a
double by Erin McDonald -- and striking out 16 batters on the night. Julie
Henneke (14-7) suffered the loss, scattering the run on five hits and
striking out six.
OSU Coach Margaret Rebenar:
"We haven't competed for 10 days and have been in a holding pattern.
Our hitters were a little rusty, but hats off to their pitcher.
"Lauren hasn't thrown since the Big 12 Tourney... she did a nice
job.
"You can practice all you want, but competition is what keeps you
the sharpest."
RF Crystal Lee:
"I was up there thinking 'I gotta get a hit.' My old coach from Palomar
(JC) was here and I wanted to do it for him. It's the first time he's
seen me play Div. I. I wasn't thinking home run, just get a solid hit."
San Diego State 2, Rider University 1 San Diego State's Kelcy Murphy blasted her second home run of
the year with one out in the fourth inning to help lead the Aztecs to
a 2-1 victory over Rider University in an elimination game on Thursday
night in the 2003 NCAA Softball Regional Championships at the Titan Softball
Complex in Fullerton, Calif.
SDSU improves to 39-20 overall and will fac the loser of Friday's Oregon-Oklahoma
State tilt at 4:30 p.m. Rider finishes the year 24-25 overall and is eliminated
from regional play.
The Aztecs got on the board in the third inning on an RBI single by Joann
Figueroa, scoring Jennifer Funk for the 1-0 lead.
The Broncs answered back with a run in the fourth on Jamie Farley's fifth
home run of the year over the left field fence to knot the score at one.
That set the stage for Murphy's heroics, sending a Heather Beintema offering
over the left field fence with one out in the inning for the game-winning
hit.
Bre DeSanta (18-5) earned the win, allowing a run on four hits and striking
out 12. Beintema (16-9) suffered the loss, allowing a pair of runs on
five hits and striking out five.
SDSU Coach Kathy Van Wyk:
"The bats finally started popping. We hit a couple of hard shots
at people... it was just a matter of time to break the ice.
"Bre's (DeSanta) fastball was on tonight. It makes her change-up
more deadly."
SDSU pitcher Bre DeSanta:
"All of my pitches were working. I had a lot of movement. I just
tried to keep them off-balance and guessing."
Rider Coach Tricia Carroll:
"The assumption is, we were just happy to be here. But we thought
we could do something here and I think we did. I think we played well
and gained some respect. For the season as a whole, I think we went beyond
our expectations.... probably a year ahead of schedule."
