COLLEGE SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES : Slumping Williams Saves Titans

Julie Williams didn’t need to be reminded that she was in a hitting slump.

She acknowledged it with a hearty laugh Thursday, minutes after slugging the game-winning hit in the top of the seventh inning to give Cal State Fullerton a 1-0 victory over Nevada-Las Vegas in a first-round softball game of the Women’s College World Series before 2,367 at Hall of Fame Stadium.

Williams, who had two of the Titans’ three hits off Amie Stewart (28-8), hit a two-out single up the middle to score Chris Zboril, who had walked to start the inning.

Williams went hitless in all three regional playoff games last week, and after looking at a third strike in her first series at-bat, it didn’t appear that the freshman shortstop would end the slump soon.

“It wasn’t just last week that I [didn’t get a hit],” said Williams, a .292 hitter who had two hits in her previous 18 at-bats before the game-winner.

“It’s been like that for a while. But I knew I was due.”

Fifth-seeded Fullerton (46-16) will face top-seeded Arizona (64-5) today at 4 p.m. (PDT). The Rebels are 47-13.

Meanwhile, UCLA’s scheduled first-round game against Iowa (39-24-1) was postponed because of rain and will be played today at 10:30 a.m. (PDT).

If second-seeded UCLA (46-6) defeats Iowa, the Bruins will face the winner of the Southwestern Louisiana-Michigan game at 6:30 p.m. (PDT).

Play was suspended in the first inning of the USL-Michigan game, with the Cajuns leading, 1-0, with runners on second and third and two out.

Arizona 9, Princeton 1--The Wildcats sent Princeton (49-12) to the losers’ bracket after a five-inning game shortened because of an eight-run rule.

Nancy Evans and Leah Braatz hit back-to-back solo home runs to fuel a three-run fifth inning.