CAL STATE FULLERTON NOTEBOOK / MIKE DiGIOVANNA : Jumping for Joy, She Forgot to Run

If someone wanted to put together a college softball bloopers video, a play from Sunday’s Cal State Fullerton-University of the Pacific game at Stockton would surely have to be included.

The situation: Two outs, bottom of the 10th inning, the score tied, 1-1, and Pacific runner Roxanne Oshiro on third. Auddrena Mauga grounds a ball into the hole, where Titan shortstop Denise DeWalt makes a diving stop.

Oshiro crosses the plate with what appears to be the winning run before DeWalt can even get the ball out of her glove. Pacific players celebrate. Mauga, thinking she had the game-winning run batted in, jumps for joy between home and first.

One problem: Mauga forgot to run to first. DeWalt, in what could be the heads-up play of the year, threw to first in plenty of time to beat Mauga. Fullerton went on to win, 2-1, on DeWalt’s RBI single in the 12th.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Pacific Coach Theresa Lowry said. “I looked toward first base and said, ‘My God, she’s not running.’ She just got overly excited. It was real bizarre.”

Said Fullerton Coach Judi Garman: “Once in a while you have to be lucky.”

The Titans have been pretty good lately, too. They’ve won 13 of their last 14 games, including seven to win the prestigious PONY tournament, and have moved into second place in the Big West Conference. Fullerton (27-12, 9-5 in conference) split two games at first-place Fresno State Saturday and beat Pacific twice Sunday.

Though Garman credits solid team defense and a balanced offense, three players have had major roles in the Titans’ surge.

Pitcher Tiffany Boyd has won 11 of the 13 games during the streak, improving her record to 19-5 and lowering her earned-run average to 0.78. She had a career-high 16 strikeouts in the 12-inning victory over Pacific Sunday and now has 187 strikeouts in 153 1/3 innings. She was named conference co-pitcher of the week Monday.

DeWalt, a junior transfer from Cedarville College in Ohio, leads the team in batting average (.383), runs (20), hits (51), RBIs (13) and doubles (four). She went seven for 16 (.438) in four weekend games to earn conference field player of the week honors.

And freshman Marci White, who came in with a reputation as a good-fielding but light-hitting third baseman, is batting .322 with four doubles, 13 RBIs and 13 runs.

“Her summer league coach said she was a great defensive player who couldn’t hit,” Garman said. “Now she’s batting cleanup for us.”

Clarification: Fullerton narrowed its list of basketball coaching candidates to seven Friday, but Athletic Director Bill Shumard said the selection committee will not necessarily interview all of them.

“Of the people contacted, at no time did we use the word ‘finalist’ or guarantee an interview,” Shumard said. “We will move forward selectively in scheduling interviews, and candidates will be informed accordingly.”

Five of the coaches--Mater Dei High School’s Gary McKnight, UCLA assistant Brad Holland, UC Riverside Coach John Masi, Biola University Coach Dave Holmquist and Cincinnati assistant Steve Moeller--said they were told by Shumard Friday that they were still being considered for the job.

Yale Coach Dick Kuchen, who is among the seven, declined to comment, and Idaho Coach Larry Eustachy, another candidate, could not be reached.

Holland, who was a finalist for the Loyola Marymount job that went to Villanova assistant John Olive Monday, spent much of Monday on the Fullerton campus, meeting with school and athletic department officials and members of the search committee. Kuchen will be interviewed today.

Moving on: Four Titan men’s gymnasts--Karl Nove, Tony Hang, Roger Donate and Tim Garrison--have qualified for the NCAA West Regionals, scheduled Saturday at the University of New Mexico.

Hang is the team’s only all-around qualifier, but Nove qualified in five of the sport’s six events, floor exercise, pommel horse, rings, vault and horizontal bar.

Donate qualified in the rings, vault and horizontal bar, and Garrison qualified in the floor exercise and vault. Coach Dave Stow said Nove, Donate and Hang have the best chance to qualify for the NCAA championships, April 23-24 in Nebraska.

Two Fullerton women’s gymnasts, Celeste Delia and Wendy Minch, qualified for the women’s regionals, scheduled for Saturday at California.

Titan Notes

Two high school soccer players who helped their teams reach Southern Section championship games--midfielder Matt Bradbury from La Verne Damien and Redlands midfielder Tony Jaime--have signed letters of intent to play at Fullerton. Damien lost to Ocean View in the 4-A title game, and Redlands shared the 3-A championship with El Modena. Mauricio Ingrissia, a former San Diego State player who attended Long Beach City College, also signed with the Titans. Chapman College forward Eddie Soto was released from his scholarship and has signed grant papers with Fullerton, as has Cal State Northridge fullback J.B. McCormack. Diamond Bar High fullback Damien Brown has made an oral commitment to attend Fullerton.

Softball pitcher Ann Van Dortrecht, the Big West pitcher of the year in 1990 and an all-conference, second-team selection in 1991, will redshirt this season because of a shoulder injury. The senior right-hander, who hasn’t played this season, will undergo surgery this week.