Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Hawaii
#15 Softball Digs Deep In Win Over Hawai'i
4/15/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 14, 2001
FRESNO, Calif. - After each team put a run on the board in the third inning, #15 Fresno State and Hawai'i played scoreless ball for the next seven and a half innings until Bulldogs' center fielder Becky Witt, on two outs, punched a Felicitiy Witt pitch through the left side for the game-winner in the bottom of the 11th and the 'Dogs notched a 2-1 win.
Hawai'i, who stranded 15 runners on base, scored its run in the top of the third with two outs. Clean up batter and left fielder Stacie Hirano lined a RBI single up the middle to score second baseman Natalie Gonzales from second base.
Fresno State answered promptly with a run of its own in the bottom of the third frame. With Witt reaching base on an infield hit and sacrificed to second by first baseman Vanessa Czarnecki, left fielder Tiffany Whipple then singled up the middle and took second on a throw as the Bulldogs put two runners in scoring position. With third baseman Lindsay Fossatti at the plate, Hawai'i Witt threw a wild pitch which allowed Fresno State's Witt to score.
In the bottom of the 11th, designated player Lori Hoffman led the inning off with a double to right center. After Witt got catcher Pam West to foul out, right fielder Mitzi Ing sacrificed Hoffman to third to set up a Witt vs. Witt match up. With two outs and a 3-2 count, Fresno State's Witt, who went 4-6 with a run in the game, picked up Hoffman as she lined a shot past the out streched arm of Hawai'i shortstop Kate Judd into left field.
UH's Witt (17-9) pitched 10.2 innings, gave up 12 hits, two earned runs, two walks and struck out three. Fresno State's Leslie Poole (16-6)tossed 8.1 innings, gave up eight hits, an earned run, walked one and struck out three. Hoffman also provided some pitching relief as she threw 2.2 innings and gave up four hits.
Top hitters for Hawai'i was Gonzales (3-5, run) and Tyree Woodruff (2-4). Fresno State had three players with multiple-hit performances in Witt (4-6, run, RBI), Whipple (2-5) and shortstop Alicia Dowland (3-5, double).
With both teams pounding out 12 hits in the first game, the Bulldogs and the Rainbow Wahine would end up playing three hours and two minutes of ball.
