Despite three home runs, Bulldogs drop two on final day of Judi Garman Classic

Saturday, March 4

Fullerton, Calif.

9:30 a.m. PT

Fresno State

13-7

Northwestern

6-10

Fresno State

Northwestern

Photo by: Keith Kountz

Despite three home runs, Bulldogs drop two on final day of Judi Garman Classic

3/4/2017 4:19:00 PM | Softball

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Fresno State Softball fell to Northwestern, 5-3, and No. 8 Washington, 5-1, on Saturday

By: Jason Kelm / Communications Assistant

FULLERTON, Calif. – The Fresno State softball team returns home after going 3-2 at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., this week, falling to Northwestern, 5-3, and No. 8 Washington, 5-1, on Saturday.

The Bulldogs (13-8) defeated Long Beach State, Iowa and Indiana earlier in the tournament.

Fresno State freshman Schuylar Broussard hit her first collegiate home run on Saturday, while sophomore Vanessa Hernandez and junior Savannah McHellon hit their first and fourth of the season, respectively.

Sophomore pitcher Kamalani Dung took the ball against Northwestern and fell to 9-4 on the season with a 1.75 ERA and opposing batters hitting .192, while freshman Samantha Mejia was tasked with facing Washington and is now 3-1 with a 4.64 ERA.

How it happened against Northwestern
Northwestern struck first in the bottom of the second, scoring two after a walk and two singles.

The Bulldogs answered immediately with solo home runs by Broussard and Hernandez to tie the game 2-2.

Fresno State then took the lead in the top of the fourth after senior Lindsey Willmon singled and was sent home on an RBI-double by McHellon.

The Wildcats came back with two walks and a single in the bottom of the fifth, scoring twice and re-taking the lead 4-3. They added an insurance run in the sixth after two singles led to another run.

Dung struck out five in the campaign, while Northwestern pitchers Kenzie Ellis and Morgan Newport combined for six strikeouts.

How it happened against Washington
It was a defensive battle between the Bulldogs and Huskies, with Washington taking a 2-1 lead into the final inning.

The Huskies got on the board right away with a walk and two singles leading to an early score. Two more singles gave Washington an insurance run in the second, when McHellon came up to the plate in the bottom of the inning to blast a solo home run to center field.

Mejia and Washington pitcher Taran Alvelo battled back-and-forth all game, until the Huskies hit a three-run home run in the top of the seventh to put the game out of reach for the Bulldogs.

Alvelo finished the game with nine strikeouts, allowing one hit and no walks.

What's next
The Bulldogs return to Margie Wright Diamond on Friday as the Fresno State Invitational gets underway, in which the Bulldogs will face BYU, Oregon State and Sacramento State.

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