Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Hawaii
No. 21/18 Softball Opens WAC Season Victoriously
4/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 2, 2005
HONOLULU - The No. 21/18 Fresno State softball team opened Western Athletic Conference play with a 3-1 victory over Hawai'i.
Improving to 12-1 in WAC openers, the Bulldogs scored three runs on four hits with an error while the Rainbow Wahine had one run on one hit with two errors.
Senior All-America pitcher Jamie Southern tossed her third one hitter of the year (18th of career) and struck out 10 for the sixth time of the season (48th 10-strikeout game of career) to improve to 12-2 overall.
Taking a no hitter into the seventh with one out, Southern also posted her 102 career win to move to No. T33 all-time in NCAA Division I history in career victories. Winning her last seven starts, she also moved up to No. 15 all-time in D1 history for career strikeouts (1,169).
Junior All-America shortstop Christina Clark, who went 2-3 with two runs and a RBI, became the new sultan of swat in WAC play. Already the school's all-time career home run leader, she became the league's long ball hitter today after belting her ninth of the season and 47th of her career with a solo shot in the sixth.
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard first with a run in the fourth before tacking on their final two in the sixth. UH scored its lone run in the seventh.
In the fourth, Clark led off the inning with a single to right center. After the next two Bulldogs got out, senior third baseman Leticia Pacheco was hit by pitch. With runners on first and second, freshman designated player Kristin Sylvester reached on a errant throw to first by Hawai'i pitcher Melissa Coogan. While the throw went awry, Clark scored from second to give Fresno State a 1-0 lead.
In the sixth, Clark drove the first pitch she saw down the left field line and over the 200 foot fence to start the inning off. Southern then followed with a single to right center. Junior Katrina Jacques came in to pinch run for Southern and advanced to second on a ground out by Bulldog catcher Nichole Willis. Pacheco then singled up the middle as Jacques went home on a mishandled ball by the UH centerfielder.
In the seventh with one out and runners on first and second courtesy of a Bulldog error and a hit by pitch, left fielder Kaulana Gould broke up the no-hitter with a RBI single down the left field line.
Hawai'i (20-18, 1-3 WAC) utilized two pitchers as starter Melissa Coogan took the loss and fell to 10-8 overall after allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out two.
