Titan Softball Team Primed for Title Repeat

The Cal State Fullerton softball team has a two-game lead in the Big West Conference race with six games to play, and Coach Michelle Gromacki says she feels good about the Titans’ chances of winning a second consecutive title.

“It all comes down to playing well at the end of the season, and I think we’re doing that now,” Gromacki said. “You want everything to come together at the right time.”

The ninth-ranked Titans improved to 41-11, 14-1 in the conference by sweeping a three-game series against UC Santa Barbara last weekend. Second-place Pacific is 12-3 in the conference and third-place Cal State Northridge is 11-4.

Fullerton, which is one victory away from the program’s 1,000th win, plays a three-game series at Northridge beginning with a doubleheader Saturday.

“Northridge will be a good test for us,” Gromacki said.

The Titans close the regular season at home with a three-game series against last-place Utah State May 5-6.

Pitcher Gina Oaks, who has been sidelined since March 31 with a strained muscle in her throwing shoulder, returned last week. Oaks held Santa Barbara hitless in three innings Sunday, striking out four of the nine batters she faced.

“She had been a little hesitant, but she felt good after she finished, so having her back helps a lot,” Gromacki said.

With Oaks healthy, the Titan pitching appears solid. Jodie Cox is 17-5 with a 1.81 earned-run average and Oaks is 16-6 with a 1.53 ERA. Christy Robitaille is 8-0 with a 1.27 ERA. Fullerton has 11 shutouts in its last 12 games.

Jenny Topping and Yasmin Mossadeghi lead the offense. Topping is batting .427 with 55 RBIs, and Mossadeghi is batting .376 with 41 RBIs. They top the conference in both categories, and share the conference lead in home runs, each with 13.

Gromacki said Fullerton will bid to host one of the eight NCAA regional tournaments May 17-20, but she said she has no idea about the school’s chances of being selected.

“Most of the top teams this season are on the West Coast, and several of them are likely to bid for a tournament,” Gromacki said.

BASEBALL RECORDS

Cal State Fullerton pitcher Kirk Saarloos has moved into the No. 2 spot among Fullerton’s leaders in career strikeouts with 312 after getting six Sunday against Cal State Northridge.

He has 107 in 103 1/3 innings. Adam Johnson holds the Titan career record at 365 and season mark at 166.

Saarloos (10-2), who won his 10th consecutive start, has a conference-leading 1.65 earned-run average. Opponents are batting .163 against him.

Saarloos also is one appearance from tying the Big West Conference career record for pitchers.

Long Beach State’s Gabe Gonzalez set the record with 121 appearances in the 1992-95 season.

Second baseman David Bacani tied the Titan career record for runs scored Sunday at 234. John Fishel set the record in 1982-85.

TRACK TIDBITS

UC Irvine hosts the California/Nevada Track and Field Championships Saturday and Sunday. Field events begin at 9 a.m. and running events at 11 Saturday. Field events begin at 9 a.m. and running events start at 1 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 for a two-day pass and $6 for a single-day pass. UCI students with identification will be admitted for $2 per day.

Joi Webber, a triple jumper from Riverside Poly High, has signed with Cal State Fullerton. Webber is the defending Ivy League champion with a personal best of 38 feet 3 inches.

Pentathlete Olivia Fick, a 1998 graduate of Grand Island (N.Y.) High, has committed to compete in track and field at Vanguard, a school spokesman said. Fick, who also played high school basketball and soccer, intends to join the Lions’ soccer team, as well.

UC Irvine distance runner Kareen Nilsson turned in a time of 33:48.59 in the 10,000-meter run at the Mt. San Antonio Relays, second-best in Anteater history and the nation’s eighth-best time of the season. The school record is 33:07.1 by Beth McGrann in 1989. Nilsson’s time qualified her for the NCAA championships in Eugene, Ore., May 30-June 2.

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Staff writer Paul McLeod contributed to this report

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