NCAA Women’s Softball World Series : Fullerton Loses, 5-1, Then Wins in Extra Inning, 2-1

A season of high expectations almost came crashing down in less than four hours for Cal State Fullerton Saturday at Seymour Smith Park. But the top-ranked Titans, after losing, 5-1, to Nebraska in the afternoon, managed to pull out a 2-1 extra-inning win over Cal Poly Pomona in the evening to stay alive in the double-elimination NCAA Division I Women’s Softball World Series.

Fullerton (54-9) will meet UCLA (39-9) at 1:30 p.m. today with the winner meeting Nebraska (38-10) for the championship at 3:30.

The Bruins beat the Cornhuskers, 3-0, Saturday night, and now, all three teams have one loss. Nebraska, the last team to receive its first loss in the tournament, earns the bye into the final game.

The Fullerton-Cal Poly Pomona game came down to one woman who ran when she shouldn’t have and one who didn’t when she should have. The Titans’ Val VanKirk has already forgotten her mistake. The Broncos’ Kathy Powell has an entire off-season to ponder hers.

Fullerton and Pomona were tied, 1-1, at the end of the regulation seven innings when the International Tiebreaker Rule went into effect, giving both teams a runner on second at the beginning of each extra inning.

The Titans’ Diane Dodd sacrificed VanKirk to third to open the eighth, but VanKirk was out at the plate by 10 feet while trying to score on Leslie King’s grounder to shortstop. Terri Oberg followed with a single to left, sending King to third, and JoAnn Ferrieri picked up her second RBI of the night with a single to right to give Fullerton a 2-1 lead.

The Broncos’ Jenny Moore bunted Powell to third to open the bottom of the eighth, but Powell froze when Kandi Burke hit a shot up the middle. It took a fine play by Titan shortstop Lisa Noriega to keep the ball from going into the outfield, but Powell could have scored easily.

Titan pitcher Susan LeFebvre eventually struck out Alison Stowell with the bases loaded to preserve the win.

“It’s human nature to look at the last play like that, but the game wasn’t decided by one play,” Pomona Coach Carol Spanks said.

Saturday morning, Pomona eliminated Adelphi, 1-0, and UCLA eliminated Northwestern, 1-0.