Bulldogs clinch MW title, berth to NCAA Tournament

Sunday, May 1

San Jose, Calif.

12:00 PM

Fresno State

37-9-1, 18-0

San Jose State

22-24, 11-7

Fresno State

San Jose State

Bulldogs clinch MW title, berth to NCAA Tournament

5/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

May 1, 2016

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

FS-SJSU3

SAN JOSE, Calif. - With six games still remaining on the 2016 regular season schedule, the 20th-ranked Fresno State softball team clinched its second-straight Mountain West Championship and secured the league's automatic bid into the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs (37-9-1, 18-0 MW) accomplished this feat with a 6-4 win over second-place San Jose State on Sunday at SJSU Field.

During what was the sixth series sweep of the year, Fresno State topped the Spartans 11-5 on Friday and were coming off a 13-7 victory just a day ago. In the all-time series, Fresno State holds an 87-12 advantage and is 41-8 during games contested in San Jose.

Fresno State was off to a strong start as four-straight base hits put a run on the board with two away and Bulldog catcher Paige Gumz (2-for-3) was awarded the first-inning RBI. San Jose State answered back to tie the game on a leadoff home run in the bottom of the second.

Junior outfielder Kierra Willis (2-for-3) gave the `Dogs a 2-1 edge on her seventh home run of the year in the top of the third prior to the Spartans taking a 4-2 lead on a two-run shot and Bulldog error with two outs in the middle of the inning.

It wasn't long before Sunday's contest saw its second tied score (4-4) after infielder Lindsey Willmon (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) blasted her 11th home run of her junior campaign, behind a solo shot by outfielder Vanessa Hernandez that put Fresno State up 5-4 in the fourth. The last time the redshirt freshman logged a home run was the conference-opener at Boise State on March 29.

As the conference leader in walks (37), Willis reached base on four balls as the fifth-inning leadoff and scored from first on a standup double by senior Alyssa Villalpando (2-for-4). The starting third baseman paces the league in combined RBIs (50) over 47 games played.

Jill Compton (21-4, 13-0 MW) allowed just one hit in the initial two innings pitched Sunday, and kept traffic limited to two runners on the base path through the remaining four innings after the `Dogs went ahead in the fourth. Aside from the game-winning out in the bottom of the seventh, Compton had added three additional strikeouts to her 659 career total during the series finale.

With six games still remaining before postseason, Compton ranks sixth in all-time program history in strikeouts, seventh in wins (85), second in appearances (155), eighth in innings pitched (791.2) and 10th in complete games (84).

Next up, the Bulldogs will visit Nevada (May 6-8), prior to hosting UNLV for senior weekend starting Thursday, May 12 at Margie Wright Diamond.

QUICK HITS
The nationally-ranked Bulldogs have won 14 MW games with 10 or more hits and won in double-digit fashion during 10 contests this season which includes eight MW matchups.

The squad is riding the nation's longest win streak of 19 games, aside from continuing what is the best start to a conference season in MW history.

The No. 20 Bulldogs have been ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll for 11 consecutive weeks. That streak is the second-longest in MW history, trailing only San Diego State, which was ranked for 13 consecutive weeks in the NFCA poll in 2008. In addition, Fresno State is the first Mountain West team to be nationally ranked since New Mexico spent four weeks in the top 25 back in 2012.

The squad is currently 28-0 in conference play dating back to the 2015 season and is riding the longest win streak accomplished by any MW program in league history.

The Bulldogs have won their last 19 contests including 18 Mountain West matchups and a single nonconference game. The last time the Fresno State softball program opened conference with more than 16-straight wins was a 24-0 stretch, accomplished in 1999.

In the past four weeks the Bulldogs have swept Boise State, New Mexico and San Jose State on the road and took all three contests from San Diego State, Utah State and Colorado State at home. When combining the past six conference series, Fresno State has outscored their opponent 166-72 which includes four run-rule victories and three walk-off wins.

STAY UP TO DATE
Fans can follow the Bulldog's 2016 journey and stay up-to-date with the latest news through several media outlets including 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.

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