Fresno State Athletics
Softball Continues on with Home Stand
2/16/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 16, 2012
By Jason Clay
jaclay@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
Fresno State (3-2) vs. Santa Clara (1-5) and CS Fullerton (2-3)
Dates: Feb. 18-19, 2012
Site: Bulldog Diamond (3,288); Fresno, Calif.
Radio: ESPN2 790 AM (Nick Papagni on Saturday & Guy Haberman on Sunday)
TV: None
Live Stats: Gametracker Links
Video Streaming: GoBulldogs.com/AllAccess
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State softball team hosts Cal State Fullerton and Santa Clara for four games in two days, beginning Saturday at 1 p.m. from Bulldog Diamond.
The Bulldogs (3-2) play Santa Clara at 1 p.m. Saturday and Cal State Fullerton at 3:30 p.m. On Sunday, the `Dogs play the Titans first at 1 p.m. followed by the Broncos at 3:30 p.m. Santa Clara and Cal State Fullerton will face off both days at 10:30 a.m. before the Bulldogs take the field.
Fans can listen to all four Bulldog games on ESPN2 790 AM with Nick Papagni calling Saturday's contests and Guy Haberman delivering the play-by-play on Sunday.
Fresno State has won 44 of the 45 games it has played against Santa Clara and it has scored 10 or more runs 19 times in the 45 meetings. The `Dogs are 39-31 all-time against Cal State Fullerton, taking four of the last five games.
The Bulldogs enter the weekend looking to end a two-game skid, as Fresno State has lost each of its past two games in extra innings.
Fresno State's pitching staff is off to a strong start this year, as they are holding opposing batters to a .172 average and they have posted 34 strikeouts in five games. Senior Michelle Moses has led the way, striking out 21 in three complete games. She sports a 1.17 ERA and a 1-2 record, the two losses coming on a tough draw as they both were the extra-inning defeats.
Offensively, Fresno State has been hot and cold at the plate. The Bulldogs opened the year with three home runs in the 9-1, five-inning victory over Toledo. After that, Fresno State only scored one run in three of its last four games.
Moses has hit three home runs and fellow senior, catcher Kaitlin Griffin, is right behind her with two. Griffin leads the team with six runs driven in, which is one less than her total from each of her first three seasons in the program.
The weekend concludes what was supposed to be a 10-game home stand for the Bulldogs - the longest ever to start a season. That has been knocked down to nine games, as Tuesday's contest against Pacific was canceled due to unfavorable field conditions.
Anyone with military identification will receive free admission on Saturday as part of Fresno State's season-long Salute to Saturday's/Wounded Warrior Project. Following Sunday's games, kids will be invited onto the field following to run the bases.
Fresno State's Series vs. Santa Clara and Cal State Fullerton
SANTA CLARA: Fresno State has dominated the series with Santa Clara that begun in 1979, winning all but one of the 45 games played between the two schools. The one loss was a 3-0 defeat at home on March 1, 2003. Since that loss, the Bulldogs have outscored the Broncos 63-9 in the last 10 meetings and have shut them out three times. In all, Fresno State has held Santa Clara scoreless in 27 of the 45 games against the Broncos.
CAL STATE FULLERTON: Fresno State has a 39-31 advantage over the Titans in the series that dates back to 1981. From 1983-96, the two schools played one another every season, but since 2000 they have only faced off in seven of the 12 seasons. Fresno State has won four of the last five meetings, with the last game being played on March 18, 2010 in Fullerton's Judy Garman Classic. The Bulldogs won that game 4-1 thanks in part to a pair of RBIs from Courtney Moore who was 1-for-2 with two walks.
Kaitlin Griffin Off to a Hot Start
Senior catcher Kaitlin Griffin drove in six runs thanks in part to a pair of home runs she hit on opening weekend, helping lead Fresno State to a 3-2 record to start the year. Her six RBIs almost matched her career total she had entering the year, as Griffin had seven RBIs in 25 at-bats in her first three seasons in the program. Her first home run came in the season opener against Toledo. It was a three-run shot in the fifth inning that kicked in the mercy run and ended the game with a 9-1 Bulldog victory. Her second homer came in the third inning against UC Riverside. Fresno State trailed 2-0, but her two-run homer tied the game that the Bulldogs would eventually win 7-3. Griffin's four hits over the weekend are already more than she had in any of her first three seasons as a Bulldog.
Back-to-Back Extra-Inning Losses
Fresno State is riding a two-game losing streak, and both losses have come in extra innings. The past two games mark the first time since 2009 that the Bulldogs have played in back-to-back extra-inning games. There were three times in 2009 that the `Dogs had consecutive extra-inning games and they won both of them once and split the other two. The last time Fresno State lost consecutive games that were played in extra-innings was in 2002. The Bulldogs ended the regular season with a 3-2, 10-inning loss at San Jose State and then fell 2-1, again in 10 innings, to Cal at home in the first game of the NCAA Regional. Fresno State's next game after that was also in extra innings, but this time the Bulldogs came out on top with the 1-0 win in eight over Pacific. Fresno State ended that regional with a 1-0 loss in seven innings to Cal State Fullerton right after its win over Pacific. In the 10 previous seasons, the Bulldogs went 34-27 in extra-inning games including a 14-7 mark the past three years.
Nothing But Homers
Michelle Moses has three hits through five games this year, and all three have been solo home runs. Two of those home runs accounted for the only run of the game for the Bulldogs, as her first inning solo home run was enough to beat North Dakota State on Feb. 10, a game in which Moses recorded her ninth career shutout in the circle behind a three-hit, seven strikeout pitching performance. The second game her home run accounted for the only Bulldog run was last Sunday's 4-1, eight inning loss to Long Beach State. Her fourth-inning homer tied the game, but the 49ers would win it on a three-run homer of their own in the eighth. With 44 career home runs, Moses ranks second in school history and needs 18 more to tie Christina Clark's (2003-06) program record.
In all, Fresno State posted 24 hits over the first weekend of the season, six of which left the park. Senior designated player Courtney Moore hit a grand slam against Toledo, which was the 30th grand slam in program history. Of the 30 grand slams, Moore's was just the sixth that was hit at home. Kaitlin Griffin accounted for the other two home runs last weekend.
Strong in the Circle
Fresno State got off to a solid start in the circle, as the three pitchers that were used over the weekend only gave up 10 runs in the five games and 22 hits. Opposing batters are hitting just .172 off the Bulldogs so far this year and Fresno State has posted 34 strikeouts against nine walks. Senior Michelle Moses leads the way with 21 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched. She has started three games and has a 1.17 ERA with a 1-2 record, both of her losses coming in extra innings. Fellow senior Mackenzie Oakes has started the other two games. She is 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA. Oakes has gone 10.1 innings and has 12 strikeouts against two walks. Freshman Kiley Shae Aldridge has one relief appearance where she came in to record the win against UC Riverside by throwing 1.2 scoreless and hitless innings.
Shaking Off the Rust
Fresno State's offense has been a little slow out of the gates, as the Bulldogs have scored just one run in three of its first five games this year. The Bulldogs have 24 total hits for an average of just under five per game, but if you take away the first game of the season when the `Dogs run-ruled Toledo with nine runs off of eight hits, than Fresno State has only averaged two runs over the last four games. The potential is there as we saw in the Toledo game and in the UC Riverside game when Fresno State exploded for five runs in the sixth inning of that 7-3 win.
The last time Fresno State played Cal State Fullerton in 2010, the Bulldogs posted four runs off eight hits in the three-run victory. The last time the `Dogs played Santa Clara was a doubleheader to open the 2010 season and Fresno State scored 22 runs in the two games. In fact, the Bulldogs have scored 10 or more runs 19 times against Santa Clara and have averaged just under eight runs per game in the 45 meetings with the Broncos, so if history holds true, this could be a good weekend for the Bulldogs to break out the bats.
Freshmen Playing Right Away
Three true freshmen, Brenna Moss, Maria Sio and Michelle Solomon have started all five Fresno State games this year and fellow freshmen Taylor Green and Caitlin Neal both have one start under their belts as the designated player. Moss (center field) and Sio (shortstop) have started all five games at the same position, while Solomon has drawn starts at three different positions. She's been the starting third-baseman three times and has one start apiece in right and left field. The five freshmen have combined to go 8-for-43 (.186) at the plate with five runs scored and three driven in. Sio, who is 3-for-11 in the box, has driven in two of those three runs, doing so in the 7-3 win over UC Riverside. Green drove in the other, also against Riverside when her and Sio were responsible for three of the five runs the `Dogs scored in the sixth inning.
First Appearance, First Victory
Freshman left-handed pitcher Kiley Shae Aldridge made her first career appearance on Feb. 11 against UC Riverside. She entered a tied game in the sixth inning with one out and two runners on base. Aldridge came away with the victory that day, as Fresno State exploded for five runs in the bottom of the sixth. In her 1.2 innings, she did not give up a hit or a run and had one strikeout with one walk. Aldridge signed with Arizona out of high school, but after one semester there, she transferred to Fresno State at the start of this spring semester. Both of her parents are Fresno State alums.
Fresno State and Pacific to Reschedule Game
Tuesday's scheduled game between Fresno State and Pacific at Bulldog Diamond was canceled due to unfavorable field conditions. The game will be rescheduled at a date that has yet to be determined.
Mid-Major Rankings
Fresno State began the year tied for second with Tulsa in the mid-major rankings, right behind Louisiana-Lafayette. After the 3-2 start, the Bulldogs are now ranked No. 4 in the Mid-Major Softball Poll. UL remains No. 1, followed by Houston and Hawai'i. The top three teams are all undefeated this year.
NFCA/USA Softball Polls
The Bulldogs started the year receiving votes in both major polls, 10 from the NFCA (which would have Fresno State ranked No. 30) and three from USA Softball. After the 3-2 start, Fresno State did not receive any votes this week. Fresno State, the only school to have gone to all 30 NCAA Tournaments, has been ranked at some point in a season for 29-straight years. The Bulldogs have been in the national rankings 254 of the 315 weeks the two major national polls have run, including the preseason polls.
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