FULLERTON – Cal State Fullerton’s Torrie Anderson hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to help Cal State Fullerton (8-27, 3-0) complete a comeback from three runs down and capture a 5-3 extra-inning victory and series sweep of UCSB (9-25, 0-3) on Saturday afternoon at Anderson Family Field.
After big innings led the Titans to big leads in the first two games of the series, it was UCSB’s turn to jump out first with a big inning of its own in the third. Using their speed, the Gauchos seemingly had runners in scoring position the entire frame, scoring their first run on a throwing error and two more on an RBI fielder’s choice byAllison Taylor and a run-scoring single by Jessica Beristianos.
Fullerton fought back with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings as senior Katie Baldwin gave the Titans their first run with an RBI single that scored Ari Cervantes and Krystal Heinle drove herself home with a round-trip hit over the left field fence, making it a one-run contest.
The Titans rallied to tie the game with two outs in the seventh as Torrie Anderson doubled to right center field with two strikes and scored one batter later when Cervantes hit a two-strike single up the middle to knot the game at 3-3.
UCSB left the go-ahead runs on base in the eighth and ninth before Anderson and the Titans came through with the game-winner. Heinle got things started with a one-out single through the left side and Adriana Martinez moved to second on a wild pitch.
After a groundout moved Martinez to third, Gaucho pitcher MeLinda Matsumoto came out after 3.2 innings of relief in favor of starter Lindsey Correa, who reentered to face Anderson after holding her hitless in her first two at-bats. Working the count even, Anderson hit the third pitch over the wall in left center, scoring Martinez ahead of her to end the game.
