NCAA SOFTBALL REGIONALS : Titans Resort to Homers, Win First Two Games

After failing for the better part of the day to generate much offense, the Cal State Fullerton softball team went to the long ball to get the job done Saturday in its first two games of the NCAA Regionals at the Titan Sports Complex.

In its second game, Fullerton (45-18) had to go 11 innings to defeat Cal State Long Beach, 3-2, after beating Toledo, 1-0, on a pinch-hit home run by Tiffany Boyd in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The fifth-seeded Titans and 15th-seeded Long Beach (37-30) meet at 1 p.m. today at Fullerton in the final day of the double-elimination tournament, with a second game to follow if necessary. The winner advances to the College World Series, May 21-23 at Oklahoma City.

In the game against Long Beach, the Titans rallied for two runs to tie the score, 2-2, in the bottom of the eighth.

The 49ers appeared on their way to victory when they pushed across two runs in the top of the eighth.

Gina DiCorpo opened the inning with a single to left field and scored moments later when Boyd, who started at pitcher for Fullerton, committed a three-base throwing error on a chopper hit by Amy Geldbach. Boyd tried to force DiCorpo at second base, but her throw sailed all the way to the fence in right-center field. Geldbach later scored on a one-out single by Stacy Van Essen.

Long Beach loaded the bases against Boyd, but left-hander Cheryl Longeway relieved her and restored order, getting Ivy Pinkerton to hit into a force play and striking out Lisa Wilson.

Fullerton then bounced back dramatically.

Denise DeWalt led off with a single to left and after K.C. Clark grounded out to losing pitcher Mary Letourneau (12-12), Marci White smacked a two-run home run just inside the left-field foul pole to tie the score, 2-2.

The Titans won in the 11th when, with two outs, Long Beach second baseman Linda Lunceford couldn’t handle a grounder by Shannon Dolan, driving in Rose Garces from third.

“That’s the difference with this team this year,” Titan Coach Judi Garman said. “We just keep coming back.”

Longeway (15-12) picked up the victory by working the last 3 2/3 innings. It was the second victory of the day for the freshman from Kennedy High, who shut out Toledo on a two-hitter earlier in the afternoon. Garman said she’ll probably start Longeway in the first game today and pitch Boyd in the second game if one is necessary.

Boyd’s home run against 18th-seeded Toledo (39-22) came off losing pitcher Christin Chadwick with two outs on a two-and-two count. The blast eliminated Toledo, which had lost to Long Beach, 2-0, in the first game Saturday.