Undefeated `Dogs top Utah, 2-0

Sunday, February 14

Tempe, Ariz.

12:30 PM

Fresno State

5-0

Utah (No. 23)

2-2

Utah

Fresno State

Undefeated `Dogs top Utah, 2-0

2/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

Feb. 14, 2016

By: Kimberly Fisher
kimfisher@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com

UTAH-FS | Overall-Stats

TEMPE, Ariz.- The Fresno State softball team logged its second shutout during the ASU Kajikawa Classic with a 2-0 victory over Utah on Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs head home riding a five-game win streak and undefeated at the conclusion of opening weekend.

Utah claimed the first hit of the game during the opening inning as senior ace, Jill Compton (3-0) made her third start of the weekend in the circle for Fresno State. Despite seven total hits, Compton kept the Utes from scoring through seven innings with three strikeouts.

"We're a team with a lot of heart," Compton said. "I'm glad that showed throughout the weekend. We pulled out five great team wins."

Compton accounted for three or more strikeouts during both of her complete games with a team-high 17 strikeouts over 21 total innings tossed.

The `Dogs put some hard-hit balls in action but nothing got through until a single up the middle from Vanessa Hernandez snapped the hitless stint in the bottom of the third. The redshirt freshman was one of four Bulldogs with one hit against the Utes including catcher Paige Gumz, junior Lindsey Willmon and senior Whitney Smith who scored Fresno State's winning run.

With runners in scoring position, the `Dogs scored on a perfectly executed squeeze play from Smith who had laid down a sacrifice bunt earlier in the game. Smith aided to sealing the deal against Utah after turning a double play to end the game in the top of the seventh.

As the leadoff batter, Rivers continued Smith's fifth-inning rally with a grounder to the right side that scored the final run of the game, putting the Bulldogs up 2-0. Fresno State collected its fifth win over a three-day stretch against Utah and logged the best opening-weekend record in head coach Trisha Ford's four-year Bulldog career.

Fresno State's lineup featured freshman, Morgan Howe hitting in the two spot and playing right field during her first collegiate game start, after making three pinch-hit appearances earlier in the tournament. Senior, Bria Kennedy later entered the game in right field at the top of the sixth inning.

As of Jan. 26, the Utes had checked in at No. 23 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Collegiate Top 25 and received 22 votes to be ranked in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Preseason Poll.

Up Next
The Bulldogs will host the annual Fresno State Kick-Off for the fifth consecutive year, welcoming out of state opponent, Kansas along with California locals Sacramento State and UC Riverside. The 10-game weekend stretch will get underway on Friday, Feb. 19 and last through Sunday, Feb. 21 at Margie Wright Diamond.

Fresno State will take on Kansas (4 p.m.) for the 2016 home opener, followed by a matchup with Sacramento State (6:30 p.m.) during Friday's action. The `Dogs will face the Jayhawks for the second time on Saturday (4:30 p.m.) and close out the tournament on Sunday versus UC Riverside (11:30 a.m.) and the Hornets (2 p.m.).

Conference Standings
As the preseason favorite, Fresno State topped the conference chats heading into today's action - ahead of the additional eight MW programs including New Mexico (2-1), UNLV (2-1), Nevada (2-2), San Diego State (2-2), Utah State (1-4), San Jose State (1-5), Colorado State (0-4) and Boise State (0-5).

Week 1 Rankings
The first Mountain West standings and statistics will be posted on the following morning after the last competition and Player/Pitcher of the Week honors will be announced on Tuesday mornings, beginning Feb. 16 through May 17.

The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week award and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll will be issued on Tuesday mornings, no poll will be released on May 24, May 31 or June 7. The final poll will be released on June 14. Similarly, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I Player and Pitcher of the Week will be announced on Monday, Feb. 16.

The NCAA statistics will be updated approximately a week into season (Monday, Feb. 22) and the first RPI ranking will be announced on Monday, March 21.

Stay Up To Date
Fresno State Athletics continues striving to meet the needs of Bulldog fans around the county, therefore providing several outlets to follow the Dogs' journey in 2016. Stay up-to-date with the latest news via Twitter (@FresnoStateSB), Facebook (Fresno State Softball), Instagram (@fresnostatesoftball) and Snapchat (FresnoStateSB). A full recap and final results can be found at GoBulldogs.com following each competition.

Come game day, a live stat feed of all home games can be found on StatBroadcast and GameTracker. The Red Wave can watch live on the Mountain West Network or listen on ESPN 790 AM "The Deuce" during select games. Please note, all broadcast schedules are tentative and subject to change.