Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
16-6-1
Long Beach State
17-11
Fresno State tops Beach, suffers loss to BYU
3/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
By: Kimberly Fisher
kimfisher@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
SAN DIEGO, Calif.- The No. 24 Fresno State softball team squared off with Long Beach State and BYU on Friday afternoon during the San Diego Classic II held at the Sportsplex USA Santee. The 'Dogs are 16-7-1 coming off a 5-4 win over LBSU prior to being outscored 6-3 by BYU.
Key contributors in Fresno State's comeback victory over the 49ers included Bria Kennedy (2-for-3), Malia Rivers (2-for-4) and Alyssa Villalpando (2-for-4) who each drove in a run for the 'Dogs, along with Kierra Willis and Lindsey Willmon.
Beach scored three runs on four hits in the top of the first and added one on an error in the third before Fresno State got on the board. The 'Dogs initial run was generated in the middle of the third by Willis who scored Rivers on a sacrifice fly, after reaching on a bunt single and advancing to third on a throwing error.
The Bulldogs scratched across an additional run in the third on Villalpando's fourth home run of the season, prior to a two-out rally ignited by Whitney Smith who reached home safely on a ball up the middle from Rivers. The game-tying run was scored in the sixth inning on Kennedy's first sacrifice hit of the season.
Fresno State took ownership of the win on a walk-off hit by Willmon in the bottom of the seventh, while freshman Kamalani Dung (3-0) became the pitcher of record. Dung went the distance for just the second time this season with one strikeout against LBSU.
Senior Hannah Harris (3-4) started in the circle versus BYU during the 'Dogs second game of the day and fanned five batters before being charged the loss. The Cougars advanced to 17-11 with two consecutive victories over Fresno State, after meeting at the 2015 NCAA Eugene Regional and halting the Bulldog's season on an 8-7 final decision.
Kennedy led the squad going 2-for-4 with one RBI, meanwhile Willis, Rivers, Gumz and Vanessa Hernandez logged one hit on Friday evening. Designated player Victoria Trevino drove in her second run of the season along and Smith similarly had a solo RBI versus BYU.
Overall on Friday, Kennedy hit a team-leading .571 (4-for-7) with two RBI's and a sacrifice fly. Villalpando additionally led the group in slugging percentage (.625) and total bases (5). In all, the Bulldogs averaged .315 at the plate with 15 singles and two extra base hits.
Next Up
Fresno State will take on Ohio State and Princeton on Saturday before wrapping up this season's non-conference tournament schedule with San Diego on Sunday. The team will then make its way to Fullerton, Calif., for a single non-conference matchup with Cal State Fullerton on March 22 prior to returning home.
Mountain West play will get underway on the road against Boise State starting March 29, followed by a home series against San Diego State (April 1-3). Additional home conference battles include Utah State (April 15-17), Colorado State (April 22-24) and UNLV (May 12-14), with road games against New Mexico (April 8-10), San Jose State (April 29-May 1) and Nevada (May 6-8).
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: Dung, Kamalani (3-1)
L: Munoz, Skie (1-1)
Batting:
HR: Tautalafua, Darian 1
RBI: Tautalafua, Darian 3
SH: Tobler, Haley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Torres, LT 1 ; Fry, Nichole 1 ; Tautalafua, Darian 1 ; Lombardi, Julia 1
Batting:
2B: Willmon, Lindsey 1
HR: Villalpando, Alyssa 1
RBI: Kennedy, Bria 1 ; Rivers, Malia 1 ; Willis, Kierra 1 ; Villalpando, Alyssa 1 ; Willmon, Lindsey 1
SH: Smith, Whitney 1
SF: Kennedy, Bria 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rivers, Malia 1 ; Willis, Kierra 1 ; Villalpando, Alyssa 1 ; Rodriguez, Christina 1 ; Smith, Whitney 1
HBP: Howe, Morgan 1
