Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
No. 6 seed Louisiana Tech
Bulldogs Fall to LA Tech, 17-7
5/10/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 10, 2012
By Jason Clay
jaclay@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Dacia Hale tied a NCAA record with 11 RBIs to lead Louisiana Tech to a 17-7, six-inning victory over Fresno State in the opening game of the WAC Softball Tournament at the NM State Softball Complex.
The game, which started Wednesday night but was postponed in the fifth inning and finished Thursday because of inclement weather, was a wild one.
There were 24 runs scored between the two teams off of 24 combined hits and 18 walks.
Fresno State (33-22) will now play the loser of the Hawai'i-San Jose State game Thursday evening. That elimination game is tentatively scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. PT.
"They came out and played extremely well and we didn't," head coach Margie Wright said. "Now we have a long road ahead of us and we know it. We need to come out and get the next game because that is the only one that matters."
Hale was 3-for-4 in the game with all three of her hits being home runs, another WAC Tournament record. Her 11 RBIs blew away all WAC Tournament records. The previous record for most RBIs by a single player in an entire tournament was eight and the single-game record was six.
LA Tech (24-31) finished the game with 14 hits to 10 for the Bulldogs. There were seven home runs hit in the game - five by Louisiana Tech and two by Fresno State.
The Lady Techsters scored four runs in the first and second innings before putting up three more in the third. The four in the second came off of Hale's grand slam and then she hit a three-run homer in the third. Hale had eight RBIs through three innings.
The first five of Fresno State's runs came via the long ball. Vonnie Martin hit a three-run homer to center in the first and Michelle Moses unloaded on a two-run homer to left in the second. Martin finished the game going 2-for-4 and she and Andrea Ortega were the only Bulldogs with two hits.
When play was halted Wednesday night, LA Tech held a 13-7 lead.
The Lady Techsters put the game away in the sixth inning when play resumed Thursday afternoon with back-to-back home runs from Hale and Meghan Knowles to induce the mercy rule.
Fresno State had a chance in the bottom of the sixth to cut into the 10-run deficit, but left the bases loaded. Fresno State stranded 11 runners on-base in the game.
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