College Softball : LeFebvre Pitches a No-Hitter as Fullerton Sweeps 2 From UCSB

Susan LeFebvre pitched a no-hitter Friday night to lead Cal State Fullerton, the nation’s No.1-ranked softball team, to a 4-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader sweep over UC Santa Barbara in Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. play in Fullerton.

LeFebvre (28-4), a senior right-hander, struck out seven, walked one and had another Gaucho reach base on an error.

Fullerton’s Terri Oberg scored in the first on a single by Joann Ferrieri to give the Titans (20-3, 48-7) a 1-0 lead. The Titans added another run in the second when Rina Foster scored on a passed ball.

Robin Goodin singled in one run and Valerie Van Kirk another in the fifth.

The Titans won the second game, 2-0, behind the one-hit pitching of Connie Clark (14-2). Oberg doubled in a one run, and Ferrieri hit a ground ball to score pinch-runner Charis Monroe in the fifth for the Titans. Clark had 12 strikeouts.

Santa Barbara is 9-15 in the PCAA and 16-28 overall.

In nonconference action:

Sacramento State 8, Chapman 0--The Panthers dropped the first game of a day-night doubleheader in Sacramento and the second, 4-1 to Portland State.

In South Coast Conference action:

Rancho Santiago 6, Cerritos 2--The Dons’ (13-1, 35-5) win over the Falcons drops Cerritos (9-5, 22-10) into a tie for second place with Cypress. Cerritos and Cypress will play next week to determine second place and a berth in the Southern California regional playoffs, which start May 16 at Golden West College.

Rancho Santiago, which clinched its first SCC title and an automatic regional playoff berth last week, scored a run in the fourth and one in the fifth to tie the game, 2-2. Tina Engel singled home Laura Janzen and Christi Kalehuawehe to give the Dons the lead, 4-2.

Lorraine Kalehuawehe (12-1) pitched a complete game, and both Cerritos runs were unearned. Rancho Santiago scored twice more in the seventh on a triple by Christine Makimoto, a single by Lee Bladow, and after Bladow advanced to second on an error, Lorraine Kalehuawehe’s single drove her home.

Cypress 2, Orange Coast 0--Freshman Char Schmitt hit a two-run home run over the left-field fence and Karen Nakamaru pitched a two-hitter to move the Chargers (9-5, 31-13) into a second-place tie with Cerritos.

Saddleback 2, Golden West 0--The Rustlers missed a chance at a tie for second and a possible playoff bid with the loss to the Gauchos in Mission Viejo.