NCAA Softball Regional : UCLA’s Longaker Stops Fullerton Again, 3-0

Cal State Fullerton had seen Lisa Longaker before.

In April, she had 14 strikeouts in a 6-1 UCLA softball victory over the Titans.

This time, the Titans said after playing UCLA Friday, they were a bit more ready for her.

This time, Longaker struck out only five. But she still pitched 4 perfect innings and allowed just three hits, beating the Titans, 3-0, in the first game of a best-of-three National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Regional Series at Sunset Field.

The loss put ninth-ranked Fullerton on the verge of missing the College World Series for the first time since 1984, and for only the second time in Judi Garman’s nine-year career as Titan coach.

Fullerton and UCLA, which has been ranked No. 1 all season, meet again at 1 p.m. today at Sunset Field, with a third game, if necessary, to follow.

The winner of the series advances to the eight-team College World Series next week in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Longaker, a sophomore, already has been Pacific 10 player of the year twice.

This season, she pitched 19 shutouts and completed every game she started, finishing with a 27-3 record. During one stretch, she didn’t allow an earned run for 108 innings. She has an earned-run average of 0.25.

If nothing else, Fullerton made progress against her Friday.

“We played much better today,” Garman said. “I’m proud of the way we played. We had three hits and they had three hits. They just got the extra-base hits.”

UCLA (47-7) managed three hits off Fullerton pitcher Anjie Bryant, but two were for extra bases.

Kerry Dienelt led off the third inning with a double and was safe at third on fielder’s choice. Dienelt then scored on a wild pitch, giving UCLA a 1-0 lead.

The Bruins added another run in the inning on Shanna Flynn’s run-scoring single.

UCLA added a final run in the fourth inning when Missy Phillips, who had tripled, scored on a sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Monica Tourville.

Fullerton (52-19) managed only four baserunners, and only one advanced past first. The Titans put a runner on third with two out in the sixth on a fielder’s choice and a single, but a short fly ball ended the rally.

UCLA will go with Samantha Ford (16-4) in the first game today. Ford beat Fullerton, 6-4, in the second game of that April doubleheader. UCLA will save Longaker for a possible third game.

“But I’ll bring Lisa in if Sam gets in trouble,” UCLA Coach Sharron Backus said. “We don’t want to let them get the momentum. If they were to win the first one, it would be very, very difficult for us to win the second.”

Fullerton, naturally, is planning on a third game, and that would mean another shot at Longaker.

“We’ve seen her speed,” said Val Douglas, whose .347 average leads the Titans, but who was 0 for 3 Friday. “Now that we’re used to that, she’s just another good pitcher. We’re ready for her.”

Longaker is not certain that matters.

“There’s not going to be a third game,” she said.

Titan Notes

Fullerton catcher Debbie Schneider, who was playing with an injured knee, injured her other knee when a runner knocked her over as she blocked the plate in the third inning. Titan Coach Judi Garman said Schneider was doubtful for today.