Resilient `Dogs surge past KU, 3-2 (8)

Saturday, February 20

Fresno, Calif.

4:30 PM

Fresno State

8-0

Kansas

4-5

Kansas

Fresno State

Resilient `Dogs surge past KU, 3-2 (8)

2/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

Feb. 20, 2016

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

KU-FS2 | Tournament Central

FRESNO, Calif.- After introducing its home portion of the 2016 schedule on Friday, the Fresno State softball team earned its second victory over Kansas on day two of the annual Fresno State Kick-Off at Margie Wright Diamond. The No. 22/24 Bulldogs improve to 8-0 on the season and are now 8-1 all-time over the Jayhawks.

"All of these games are helping us become the team we want to be," head coach Trisha Ford said. "I'm really proud of Jill [Compton] and how she threw today facing that team for the second time. Logging those innings says a lot about her and the future of this program. We had some big hits and some key walks in crucial situations and seemed to scrap enough together to get the W."

Senior ace Jill Compton advanced to 4-0 on the season with four strikeouts, allowing only one earned run (0.88 ERA) over eight innings pitched. On the season, Compton has a team-leading 11 strikeouts in six appearances with a 0.97 ERA over 36.0 innings pitched.

Offensively, senior Bria Kennedy paced the `Dogs as she totaled two hits in two at-bats, one walk and one run scored. In addition, five Bulldogs logged one hit against Kansas including Paige Gumz (.333), Alyssa Villalpando (.333), Malia Rivers (.250), Kierra Willis (.250) and Whitney Smith (1.00).

Overall, freshman Dominique Jackson is leading the team with a .455 batting average (10-for-22) on seven singles, two doubles and one home run as a Bulldog rookie. In addition, Rivers has a team-leading eight RBI and a second-best batting average (.429) with 12 hits in 28 at-bats.

Rivers upped her total to eight against the Jayhawks when she hit her 12th single of the year to put the `Dogs up 1-0 in the bottom of the third.

After allowing Kansas one run in the sixth, Fresno State headed into its first extra-inning contest of the season. The last time the Bulldogs recorded an eight-inning victory during the non-conference schedule was in 2015 against Cal State Northridge during opening weekend in Tempe, Ariz.

The Jayhawks took a 2-1 lead on one hit in the top of the eighth inning, leaving Fresno State facing a come-from-behind situation with only three outs left to play. With a runner at second base, sophomore Chase LeeHong made a pinch-hitting appearance as she reached base on a hit by pitch. The `Dogs loaded the bases with no outs on a hard-hit infield single by Willis.

Gumz scored the tying run on a shallow hit that dropped behind second base and freshman Morgan Howe had the game winning RBI after drawing a walk with the bases loaded. Howe earned a spot in the starting lineup for only the third time against Kansas on Saturday night.

With eight total victories, Fresno State has now recorded one win over each of the Division I power five conferences as the lone Mountain West program that stands undefeated.

Up Next
The Bulldogs look to preserve its perfect record heading into a two-game Sunday slate against UC Riverside (11:30 a.m.) and Sacramento State (2 p.m.), for what will be the final day of the Fresno State Kick-Off.

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.

"Be Bold!" - The official home of Fresno State Softball is 790 AM ESPN2 "The Deuce."