Topping, Titans Top Huskies

Cal State Fullerton softball Coach Michelle Gromacki grabbed catcher Jenny Topping by the shoulders about an hour before the Titans’ game Saturday against Washington and told her, “Your mind needs to be for us, not against them.”

And so it was that Topping, a former All-Orange County selection by The Times and a first-team All-American as a freshman at Washington, took the field for the first time against her former team.

Though Topping didn’t have the kind of night she hoped for offensively, her Fullerton teammates compensated in an 8-1 victory over Washington, the 12th-ranked team in the nation, in the quarterfinals of the Kia Klassic.

Kristy Halagarda had three runs batted in and Yasmin Mossadeghi, Gina Oaks and Julie Watson one apiece for the ninth-ranked Titans (23-8), who are hosting the tournament for the 22nd year and vying for their ninth title.

The Titans play Notre Dame today at 11 a.m. in a semifinal, with the championship at 2 p.m. Texas freshman Natalie King of Fountain Valley is expected to pitch against DePaul in the other semifinal at 9 a.m.

The Titans reached the quarterfinal by defeating Louisiana-Lafayette, 1-0, as Christy Robitaille and Gina Oaks combined on a two-hitter.

“There was a little nervousness,” said Topping, a La Habra High graduate who had a big game defensively.

With Topping calling pitches, Jodie Cox (10-3) pitched a five-hitter and struck out nine. “[Having caught] lots of batting practice against [Washington batters], I know their weaknesses and strengths, the tendencies of their swings,” Topping said. She gets another chance Tuesday in a nonconference game at Fullerton.

Topping also picked off a runner at first base, her seventh of the season, and made a nice dig on Amy LaRocque’s one-hop throw to the plate to tag out Jaime Clark to end the second inning.

It came after the Titans took a 2-0 lead in the second, and seemed to deflate the Huskies (22-9), the designated home team. The Titans added another run in the third.

Topping struck out once, walked three times and fouled out against pitcher Shannon Walsh (2-6). It snapped Topping’s seven-game hitting streak; she is batting .432. Walsh had other problems. Seven of the other Titan starters either scored or had an RBI. Even Topping scored once against Walsh, a junior from Glendora St. Lucy’s who threw 154 pitches. Cox threw 103 pitches in the 2-hour 50-minute game.

Gromacki said, “I saw a spark when [Topping] noticed we’d be playing [Washington].”

Topping played at Washington last season, and led the nation with 24 home runs, 90 RBIs and a .960 slugging average. Her .438 batting averaged was fifth best.

And then she left.

Notre Dame 5, Arizona State 1 (9 innings, tiebreaker)--Tied at 0-0, Danielle Klayman and former Woodbridge standout Lizzy Lemere had RBI singles to lift No. 14 Notre Dame (18-2) over the 10th-ranked Sun Devils (25-8). Lemere also stole home.

DePaul 3, Oklahoma 2--Kathy Kukman drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the seventh as 11th-ranked DePaul (13-6-1) upset the defending national champion, No. 5 Oklahoma (25-4).

Texas 2, Arizona 1--Deanna Williams’ first home run of the season, in the bottom of the seventh, lifted 20th-ranked Texas (16-13) over No. 2 Arizona (31-2).