Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
New Mexico State
Stiglich and Lujan Make History vs. NMSU
3/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 27, 2009
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - After falling to New Mexico State 3-0 in game one of the Western Athletic Conference doubleheader Friday night in Las Cruces, N.M., the `Dogs came out swinging in game two and made history with a 14-1, five-inning victory to split the series. No. 23 Fresno State won it's 20th game on the year and is now 20-13 overall and 3-1 in the WAC while NMSU is 21-12 and 1-2 in conference play.
Only four Bulldogs, Haley and Mallory Perkins, Brooke Phipps and Lisamarie Coronado had been to Las Cruces before this weekend, but the young Bulldogs responded well after dropping game one and now have a chance to win the series on Saturday in the deciding game three.
Game One
Haley Perkins led off the game for the `Dogs with a hit in the first, improving upon her .667 conference-leading batting average in WAC play entering the game. Nicole Angene got the only other hit of the game for the Bulldogs in the fifth. Angene extended her hitting streak to four games.
Bulldog pitcher Morgan Melloh picked up the loss, falling to 14-10. She had 11 strikeouts in the game and allowed three runs on eight hits. She gave up two solo home runs, one in the second to sophomore Hoku Nohara and another to Angie Ortega in the sixth. The third run for the Aggies came in the fifth after a Tiare Jennings single scored Vanessa Valles.
Senior Kim Watson for NMSU earned the victory, improving to 10-7 while striking out nine Bulldog batters.
It was the first WAC win of the year for the Aggies and their first win ever in Las Cruces over the `Dogs.
Game Two
The Bulldog bats were on fire in game two as eight out of nine Bulldog batters got hits in the game as they tallied 13 total hits and scored 14 runs, the most this season. The `Dogs scored two in the first, five in the second, three in the third and four in the fifth for the final score.
Mackenzie Oakes picked up her sixth victory of the season and second in WAC play allowing only one run (unearned) on three hits. She is now a perfect 2-0 in WAC play and still has a 0.00 ERA in two conference starts.
Four pitchers combined to pitch the five innings for NMSU with starter Vanessa Fitzgerald picking up the loss after pitching to just four Bulldog batters and giving up a two-run home run to right center to Caitlin Stiglich after a double by Haley Gilleland in the first.
"In that at bat I thought that I let two really good pitches go by and then I knew I need to sit back, take my hands to the ball and drive it," Stiglich said.
Fitzergerald was replaced by Nicole Russell after giving up a double to Michelle Moses.
Freshman Jody Badorine, who started in left field in both games, picked up her first career hit after a Brooke Phipps single to right field. Badorine slapped the ball just by the third baseman down the left field line.
A Perkins infield single followed by a walk to Gilleland loaded the bases for Stiglich. She would hit her second home run of the game, this time a grand slam. It was the second grand slam of the season and her career for Stiglich as she became just the fourth Bulldog to ever hit two grand slams in one season. Christina Clark (2004), Amanda Scott (1998) and Gina LoPiccolo (1991) were the others.
After a hit by Moses to third with one out in the second, the Aggies pulled Russell who allowed five runs on five hits. Sydney Williard then made her longest appearance of the season, 3.0 innings as she allowed seven runs on six hits.
The three runs in the third began when Lisamarie Coronado reached on an error to lead off the inning. A Phipps single, her second of the game and her first multi-hit game of the year, put runners in scoring position with no outs. The runners advanced on a fielder's choice by Badorine and scored on a single by Perkins to left center. Perkins scored herself on a wild pitch as the `Dogs took the 10-0 lead.
The fifth inning more history was made. Perkins got her third hit of the game and was followed by an error by the pitcher then sent Gilleland to first. After a Stiglich walk, freshman Alexis Lujan hit her first career home run and the Bulldogs' second grand slam of the night to left field.
Lujan made more history by becoming the second freshman to hit a grand slam as her first collegiate home run, joining former Bulldog All-American Laura Berg who hit her first grand slam in her third collegiate game vs. Illinois State in 1994.
It was only the second time in a storied Bulldog history that two student-athletes have hit grand slams in the same game. The only other time was on May 11, 2005 at Bulldog Diamond as Christina Clark and Rachael Donaldson each hit one vs. UC Santa Barbara.
"After the first game we knew we needed to win so we pulled together and got it done," Lujan said. "Right before my at bat Coach told me to hit it out of the infield so I was thinking that I just need to make contact, hit a ball to left field and I would be ok. But the next thing I know, it's a really far fly ball and it went out."
Perkins led the way with three hits. Four other Bulldogs had two hits each while Gilleland had a team-high three runs.
The final game of the three-game series between Fresno State and New Mexico State is Saturday at 1 p.m. PST in Las Cruces, N.M. The game can be seen live on KAIL and on Comcast 191 in Fresno.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The `Dogs return to Bulldog Diamond Friday, April 3 as they host Hawai'i at 6 pm. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Bulldog Ticket Office, calling 278-DOGS or online at gobulldogs.com.
