Whitney Floyd led Cal
over CSUN in NCAA action.
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Softball Wins over Cal State Northridge 3-1
Floyd leads Bears in Regional action.
May 15, 1998
FRESNO -- Senior left-hander Whitney Floyd scattered five hits over six-and-two-thirds innings Friday to lead third-seeded California to a 3-1 victory over No. 2 seed Cal State Northridge in the first round of its NCAA softball regional.
The Bears (35-25) will face the winner of Friday's second game between Fresno State and Minnesota Saturday at 1 p.m. Northridge (37-18) will play the loser of the Fresno State-Minnesota matchup at 3:30 p.m.
Cal jumped on top in the first inning with a pair of runs. Freshman center fielder Amber Phillips and sophomore second baseman Lisa Iancin both singled and moved to second and third, respectively, on a ground out. With two outs, junior third baseman Katie May hit a line-drive single to right that scored both runners.
Northridge threatened to score in both the first and second innings, but was unable to push a run across. In the first, the Matadors got a runner to second base with one out, but Floyd induced a pair of groundouts to end the inning. In the second, Northridge had runners on first and second with no outs. This time, Floyd retired the next three batters on strikeout and a pair of grounders.
In the third inning, the Bears added an insurance run when junior catcher Megumi Takasaki singled, went to second on a sacrifice by Phillips and scored on a single by Iancin.
Northridge struck back for a run in the bottom of the sixth inning with a single run. Left fielder Jessica Creith led off with a double to left center field and scored when Floyd threw a pair of wild pitches to Elizabeth Sanches. The Matadors, though, were unable to mount another threat.
Floyd, who improved to 19-13 on the year with her third straight victory, gave way to freshman Nicole DiSalvio with two outs in the seventh inning. DiSalvio got the final out two pitches later on a come-backer to pick up her fourth save of the season.
Cheri Shinn, who pitched the first two-and-two-thirds innings before giving way to Tara Glaister, fell to 13-8 after surrendering three earned runs on six base hits.
"I thought we came out psyched up to play today's game," said Cal head coach Diane Ninemire, whose team extended its winning streak to five games. "We played with a lot of heart. I was very happy we came out in the top of the first and made a statement with two outs. That was a big hit by Katie May."
Cal, which is making its eighth appearance in NCAA regional competition in Fresno, has now won six of its last eight games on Bulldog Diamond after going just 2-10 prior to 1996. The Bears captured the regional crown in 1996 and advanced to the championship game last season.
The double-elimination tournament continues through Sunday with the winner advancing to the Women's College World Series May 21-25 in Oklahoma City.
NCAA Softball Regional at Fresno, CA
First round
California 201 000 0 -- 3 7 1
CS Northridge 000 001 0 -- 1 5 1
Floyd and Takasaki. Shinn, Glaister (3) and Moore, Gallian (3). W -- Floyd (19-13). L -- Shinn (13-8). S -- DiSalvio (4).
Records
California 35-25
CS Northridge 37-18
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