Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
11-2
Oregon (No. 7)
10-4
`Dogs outdo Northwestern, fall to Ducks
2/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
By: Kimberly Fisher
kimfisher@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif.- The Fresno State softball team rallied past Northwestern (6-4) in an eighth inning battle prior to a 9-0 loss against No. 7 Oregon during Saturday's action of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic at Big League Dreams.
"Today was full of great things and also showed where we need to clean some things up," head coach Trisha Ford said. "I am very proud of the team's comeback effort and Jill [Compton] going out there and keeping us in a ballgame. Dominique [Jackson] had a monster day at the plate against Northwestern and I am excited to see her develop."
The Bulldogs entered the tournament unbeaten and snapped a 10-game win streak against No. 12 Oklahoma (3-2) during the opening game on Friday. At the end of day two, Fresno State owns an 11-2 overall record and is 6-2 during neutral site contests.
In game one, Northwestern gained an early one-run lead prior to senior Bria Kennedy tying it up on her first home run of the year as the third-inning leadoff. The team gained momentum on defense as senior Alyssa Villalpando turned the eighth double play of the season to bring the `Dogs to bat. Fresno State took a one-run lead on a solo shot from freshman Dominique Jackson.
For the second consecutive game, senior Jill Compton served as the Bulldogs starting pitcher. Compton has seven game starts on the season and added one to her six compiled complete games with five strikeouts on Saturday.
Outfielder Vanessa Hernandez robbed a home run at the centerfield fence in the bottom of the first inning and went on to collect four putouts in center, meanwhile Willis contributed three putouts at the leftfield wall to keep the Wildcats from scoring.
Northwestern overcame Fresno State on a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth and held the lead through two complete innings. Freshman Morgan Howe doubled off the leftfield fence as a pinch hitter in the nine spot to start the seventh-inning comeback rally.
Fresno State loaded the bases on one hit, an infield error and a walk following a Wildcat pitching change. Junior Kierra Willis drew a two-out walk with bases loaded to score the game-tying run in the top of the seventh. The game was sent into extra innings on a caught-stealing assist by Bulldog catcher Paige Gumz.
Fresno State has been victorious in two extra inning contests this season after topping Kansas 3-2 in eight last week.
As the designated player, Jackson crushed her third home run of the season to put the Bulldogs up 5-3 with no outs in the eighth. Junior Lindsey Willmon followed up with a solo shot to give Fresno State a 6-3 lead.
"We had some great defensive plays by Vanessa [Hernandez] but unfortunately we couldn't get anything started offensively," Ford added. "Cheridan Hawkins is an All-American for a reason and we will learn from it. It's still very early and we still have a lot to learn. Tomorrow we have two key games - LMU and CSUN will be waiting for us and I look forward to how our team responds and competes. This is a long season and it's important for us to control what we can control. I'm confident we will bounce back and play good Bulldog softball."
Against Oregon, the `Dogs faced All-American lefty Cheridan Hawkins who allowed just two hits through the five inning triumph. Senior Alyssa Villalpando collected the Bulldogs lone hit through three innings prior to Gumz with a single through the left side in the fourth. Additionally, Jackson reached base after being stuck by a pitch.
Senior Hannah Harris earned her third start in the circle and went the distance of three innings prior to fellow senior Taylor Langdon making her third appearance of the year. The duo combined for three strikeouts through four innings pitched.
In 35 total meetings since 1980, Fresno State owns the all-time record (29-7) against Oregon despite four consecutive losses over five years. The seventh-ranked Ducks are 9-4 and were coming off a spit record (1-1) in the weekend-long tournament, after opening with a 6-5 loss to Nebraska and topping Cal State Northridge 14-3 in six innings.
Up Next
Fresno State will return to Big League Dreams for a two-game slate with Loyola Marymount and Cal State Northridge on Sunday during the final day of the Nutter Classic.
The `Dogs early-season test continues next week at the annual CSUF Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif. Fresno State will take on Weber State and Washington twice and wraps up the fourth week of tournament play against CSU Bakersfield.
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."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hawkins, C. (4-2)
L: Harris, Hannah (2-1)
Base Running:
HBP: Jackson, Dominique 1
Batting:
2B: Costa, K. 1 ; Lilley, J. 1 ; Lindvall, L. 1
HR: Lindvall, L. 2
RBI: Udria, N. 1 ; Costa, K. 2 ; Decker, H. 1 ; Lindvall, L. 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Gillespie, A 2 ; Udria, N. 1 ; Burks, C. 1 ; Lilley, J. 2 ; Lindvall, L. 3
HBP: Costa, K. 1
