Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Nevada
No. 14 Bulldogs Notch 4-0 Win Over Nevada
3/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 27, 2004
FRESNO, Calif. - The 14th-ranked Fresno State softball team wrapped up Nevada in the night cap of Western Athletic Conference play after defeating the Wolf Pack, 4-0, at Bulldog Diamond.
Sophomore pitcher Laura Ferreira scattered four hits and struck out six while recording her fourth shutout victory to improve to 7-4 overall. Nevada used two pitchers for the second straight game as starter Tiffany Hoeft took the loss and dropped to 8-4 overall after giving up three runs on eight hits while recording three strikeouts. Candice Rainwater tossed the final 3.0 innings and allowed one run on one hit while walking two.
Fresno State had three players collect multiple-hit games in junior right fielder Jamie Southern (2-4, run, double), freshman catcher Nichole Willis (2-4, run, RBI) and freshman left fielder Rachael Donaldson (2-3, RBI). Nevada's center fielder Stacy Mueller also picked up a two-hit game after going 2-3 with a double.
The Bulldogs struck first when they scored two runs in the first before tacking on a run in the third and fifth innings.
In the first, sophomore All-America shortstop Christina Clark reached safely on an error by Wolf Pack shortstop Brittany Lorenzen. Southern followed with a double to right field as Clark advanced to third base. Senior designated player Lori Hoffman singled through the right side to score Clark while Southern went to third. Willis followed with a RBI single to left field to knock in Southern.
In the third with two outs, sophomore third baseman Veronica Green singled to center field to score Willis, who led the inning off with a single to center field.
In the fifth with two outs, Donaldson singled to left field as junior second baseman Leticia Pacheco scored after reaching base on a walk.
Nevada's best scoring chances came in the fifth and sixth inning.
In the top of the fifth with one out, Lorenzen reached safely on a fielding error by Clark. Amanda Wise came in to pinch run for Lorenzen before catcher Carrie Mackey picked up a single to left field. Left fielder Sonia Rojo reached safely on a fielder's choice but forced out Wise at third. With runners at first and second, Ferreira responded right back with a strikeout against right fielder Cindy Elkins.
In the sixth, third baseman Jiliane Hartfiel led off with a single to left field. Going to second on a wild pitch, Mueller came up to the plate and lifted a hit into left field to put runners on first and third. Left fielder Stephanie Grant, who came into the game for Jamie Waldron in the fifth, reached safely on a fielder's choice only to have Hartfiel thrown out at home by Pacheco. After Ferreira got pinch hitter Kari Stockstill to ground out to junior first baseman Shasta Lewis, she then induced first baseman Kristin Stith into a ground out to Green.
Fresno State (29-12, 2-0 WAC) embarks on a four-game WAC road trip with visits to Louisiana Tech (April 1) and Tulsa (April 3).
