Fullerton Hits UCLA Hard, 5-1

Cal State Fullerton hit three home runs in the first three innings and went on to a 5-1 victory over defending national champion UCLA in NCAA regional softball play Friday at the Titan Softball Complex.

The victory moved third-seeded Fullerton (40-26) into today’s winners’ bracket game at 1 p.m. against top-seeded Cal State Northridge, a 5-0 winner over Southwest Missouri. Second-seeded UCLA (41-9) faces Southwest Missouri in the losers’ bracket of the double-elimination tournament at 3:30.

Fullerton’s Chris Zboril and Traci Fischer hit bases-empty homers in the first inning. Senetha Thomas then lofted a three-run homer to left in the third, following hits by Beth Queypo and Fischer for a four-run Fullerton lead.

Fullerton had 15 hits, the most given up by UCLA this season. UCLA pitcher B’Ann Burns (26-6) had given up only four home runs in 197 innings during the season.