Boyd Leads Fullerton to the Title : Softball: Pitcher’s sixth victory in five days sparks 2-1 triumph over Arizona, the defending national champion.

Tiffany Boyd was tired and sore after the Cal State Fullerton softball team captured the PONY tournament championship Sunday.

No wonder. Boyd had just wrapped up her sixth victory in five days with a 2-1 triumph over Arizona, the defending national champion.

Boyd, a Woodbridge High graduate, relieved Cheryl Longeway in the seventh inning against the No. 2 Wildcats (32-3). She then struck out three batters in the nine-inning game to give the Titans their 10th consecutive victory.

“I’m very tired, very sore and very happy,” Boyd said. “The last inning, I felt good, but it took me awhile to get into it. I got cold between the first and second games today.”

The ninth-ranked Titans were in a tense situation when Titan softball Coach Judi Garman elected to send in Boyd. Longeway, a freshman from Kennedy High who pitched the Titans to victory over Ohio State Wednesday, gave up a hit in the seventh with the teams tied, 1-1. Garman brought in Boyd for the next batter.

“Cheryl had done a great job,” said Garman, who celebrated her eighth PONY tournament victory. “The first runner got on base and it was just a pressure situation. We went for the strikeout.

“It was a lot to ask a freshman to do, so I went with the older, more experienced player.”

With no outs and a runner on first, Boyd (17-5 and 0.83 earned-run average) got the next three batters to keep the Titans (24-11) close. Debby Day reached first on a bunt, but Lisa Guise was out at second on the play. Then Susie Duarte sacrificed and Renee Rosas struck out to end the inning.

In the ninth, Boyd hit a high shot to left field, which was caught by Wildcat left fielder Stacy Redondo. Next, senior KC Clark drove in Marci White with a single between second and third bases, and the Titans took a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Boyd struck out Laura Espinoza, had Jody Miller-Pruitt line to shortstop Denise DeWalt and struck out Guise to end the game.

In the fourth inning, Guise hit the ball over DeWalt’s head to tie the score, 1-1. In the second, Clark drove the ball over Redondo’s glove for a 1-0 Titan lead.

Earlier Sunday in the semifinal game against No. 12 Missouri, Boyd, who’s victory over Arizona was her ninth in a row, had a season-high 14 strikeouts. Boyd’s previous high was 11.

With two outs and the count 2-2, freshman Shannon Donlan, who graduated from Fountain Valley, singled in the game-winning run in the 12th inning against Missouri.

“The exciting part about the whole thing is that we just keep getting better and better,” Garman said. “We started five freshmen and we’re able to defeat the defending national champ.”