Garman Gets 900th Victory as Titans Sweep Long Beach

Cal State Fullerton softball Coach Judi Garman was the first to admit that Friday’s doubleheader at Long Beach State was all about numbers.

But not the numbers one would think. Sure, the Titans’ Big West Conference sweep gave Garman her 900th Division I victory, most in the nation. But the two 4-1 victories, the first in eight innings, positioned Fullerton to move up in the regional rankings, which are partly determined by strength of schedule.

The Titans (23-14, 5-3) went into the three-game series No. 6 in the West. The 49ers (16-13, 2-3) were fourth. The teams play today at 1 p.m.

“To do this in a conference game here, where home and home series are so critical, that’s a lot more important than winning No. 900,” said Garman, who’s in her 20th season at Fullerton. She also posted 211 victories at Golden West College from 1972-1979.

Garman said she had reservations coming into the series, which the Titans lead, 53-30, because the Long Beach field has never been her favorite place. Her concern was well-founded. The Titans, who have hit 25 home runs this season, have won with power. But Friday’s windy conditions turned at least four would-be home runs into long outs.

But the Titans found other ways to score. In the first game, Fullerton used five hits, and one big Long Beach error in the top of the eighth inning to score three runs.

In the second game, the Titans overcame a 1-0 deficit, scoring three runs in the fourth inning, thanks to two hits and another error.

Jana Oetgen, who went the distance in the first game, and took over for former Woodbridge High standout Christy Robitaille in the fourth inning of the second, ran her record to 13-4. Oetgen gave up seven hits in the opener, three of those in the seventh. But two baserunning errors cost the 49ers two runs.

“I completely forgot about Judi’s 900th victory,” Oetgen said about entering the second game. “It never crossed my mind. I just wanted to shut them out.”

Long Beach Coach Pete Manarino, a Fullerton graduate who is 17 victories short of No. 600, said he wasn’t aware of Garman’s milestone, either. He was more concerned with Long Beach’s sloppy play.

“I’m very disappointed because my teams don’t play this way,” he said. “We definitely beat ourselves.”