Win streak halted headed into postseason

Saturday, May 14

Fresno, Calif.

12:00 PM

Fresno State

41-10, 22-1

UNLV

24-31, 8-16

UNLV

Fresno State

Win streak halted headed into postseason

5/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

May 14, 2016

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

UNLV-FS3

FRESNO, Calif. - Mountain West Champion No. 17/19 Fresno State closed out the 2016 regular season with a 41-10-1 overall record following Saturday's 10-7 final score in UNLV's favor at Margie Wright Diamond.

Fresno State's 2016 graduating class of Paige Gumz, Jill Compton, Taylor Langdon, Hannah Harris, Bria Kennedy, Whitney Smith, Alyssa Villalpando and Victoria Trevino were honored during a pregame ceremony and the Bulldog's 2016 MW Championship was celebrated on the field immediately following Saturday's contest.

The NCAA Softball Championship Selection Show will air on ESPN at 7 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 15. The Bulldog softball team will host an on-campus watch party in the Josephine Theater during the one-hour special that unveils the 2016 Division I Championship bracket.

UNLV opened Saturday's tilt with three runs scored on three hits. Fresno State sent eight batters to the plate over two innings before collecting its first hit as Smith drove in junior Lindsey Willmon on an RBI-single to right.

Back-to-back sacrifice hits from Gumz and Willmon tied the game before designated player Morgan Howe scored the go-ahead run in the third inning. Freshman Vanessa Hernandez added to the 'Dogs lead after scoring Howe from first on a triple off the right field fence.

UNLV took a two-run lead in the fourth after scoring four runs on four hits and capitalizing on two Bulldog errors. Smith accounted for her second home run of the season to leave the 'Dogs trailing by just one run after UNLV increased their lead on a solo knock in the top of the sixth.

Jill Compton (24-5, 15-1 MW) drew the start and went the distance of four innings with five strikeouts before freshman Kamalani Dung took over in the circle at the top of the fifth. After two innings of work, Langdon appeared on the rubber to close out the series finale.

The Rebels went on to score two additional runs on three hits in the seventh to cap Fresno State's nation-leading 23-game win streak.

Prior to Saturday's action, Fresno State had shattered the all-time school record of 21 straight wins set by the 1999 Bulldogs who reached the Women's College World Series. Similarly, the 'Dogs had won their last 32 conference games dating back to the 2015 season and rode the longest win streak accomplished by any MW program in league history.

QUICK HITS
Fresno State clinched its second-straight Mountain West Championship and secured the league's automatic bid into the 2016 NCAA Tournament as of Sunday, May 1. The Bulldogs accomplished this feat with a three-game sweep over second place San Jose State last week.

The 'Dogs finished the year with a perfect (1.000) record on the road during conference play, featuring series sweeps over Boise State, New Mexico, San Jose State and Nevada. In addition, the team took all three contests from San Diego State, Utah State and Colorado State at home as well as 2-of-3 from UNLV.

The top 25 Bulldogs have been ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll for 13 consecutive weeks, which ties the longest in MW history with San Diego State who spent 13 weeks in the NFCA poll in 2008. Fresno State is the first Mountain West team to be nationally ranked since New Mexico earned four weeks in the top 25 back in 2012.

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.

"Fun. Family. Forever." - The official home of Fresno State Softball is 790 AM ESPN2 "The Deuce."