Bulldogs travel to Fort Collins for final MW series

Thursday, May 11

Fort Collins, Colo.

3 p.m. PT

Fresno State

Colorado State

Bulldogs travel to Fort Collins for final MW series

5/10/2017 4:10:00 PM | Softball

Fresno State Game Notes (PDF)MW Weekly Release and Stats (PDF)

Fresno State Softball faces Colorado State at 3 p.m. PT on Thursday, 3 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday

By: Jason Kelm / Communications Assistant

Fresno State (32-20, 12-8 MW) at Colorado State (27-20, 8-13 MW)
Fort Collins, Colo. – Ram Field

Game 53: Thursday, May 11 – 3 p.m. PT
  - TV: None
- Radio: None
- Live Stats: Click Here

Game 54: Friday, May 12 – 3 p.m. PT
  - TV: None
- Radio: None
- Live Stats: Click Here

Game 55: Saturday, May 13 – 11 a.m. PT
  - TV: None
- Radio: None
- Live Stats: Click Here

BULLDOGS TRAVEL TO FORT COLLINS FOR FINAL MW SERIES
The Fresno State softball team, riding a season-best six-game winning streak and looking to stay in the hunt for a Mountain West title, travels to Fort Collins, Colorado to take on Colorado State Thursday through Saturday in the Bulldogs' final MW series of the season. The 'Dogs lead the all-time series against the Rams 36-7 and have won nine of 11 series between the teams.

Fresno State (32-20, 12-8 MW) is coming off back-to-back sweeps of UNLV and New Mexico and must sweep Colorado State (27-20, 8-13 MW) to stay in contention for the conference championship. The Bulldogs will also need UNLV to sweep San Jose State, as well as for San Diego State to lose at least one game to Nevada. The Bulldogs' RPI has jumped six spots over the last two weeks to 47 and the Rams sit at 89. Seven of nine MW teams are in the top 100 RPI.

Bulldog sophomore ace Kamalani Dung (23-12, 2.08 ERA), who has earned complete-game victories in the 'Dogs' last six games and has won back-to-back MW Pitcher of the Week accolades, leads the MW in wins, shutouts (8) and strikeouts (184) and will take on a Colorado State team that ranks last in the conference in batting average (.267) and hits (335). Throughout MW play, Dung has paced conference members in wins (11), ERA (1.82), opposing batting average (.208) and innings pitched (100). Her 81 strikeouts in MW games rank second.

On the offensive side of the ball, multiple 'Dogs have stepped up in various roles to give Fresno State the production that it needs at the plate. The Bulldogs are 21-2 when scoring five runs or more and are 15-1 when scoring in the first inning. As a team in MW games, the Bulldogs rank first in triples (6) and walks (73), second in slugging percentage (.479) and third in batting average (.306), on-base percentage (.392), home runs (20) and total bases (257).

Sophomore outfielder Morgan Howe, whose .436 batting average is the sixth-best in a single season in Fresno State history and currently ranks second in the MW, also leads the Bulldogs with a .513 on-base percentage and 58 hits. Junior utility Savannah McHellon is pacing the 'Dogs with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs, while senior catcher Lindsey Willmon has scored a team-high 39 runs this season, adding eight home runs and 32 RBIs of her own.

ABOUT THE RAMS
Series history: Fresno State leads 36-7
Last year: Fresno State swept (9-6, 3-2, 7-2)
Last time in Colorado (2015): Fresno State swept (9-0, 3-1, 11-2)
Last Colorado State win: CSU 8, FS 7 (5/4/14 - Fresno, Calif.)
Last Colorado State series win: 2013 (3-2, 7-4, 0-5)

Colorado State is under the direction of seventh-year head coach Jen Fisher. The Rams were swept by Nevada in their last MW series, but are on a four-game winning streak after defeating South Dakota and Texas Tech twice each last week. As a team, Colorado State is hitting .267 and its pitching staff has posted a 3.41 ERA.

Offensively, the Rams are led by a pair of power hitters in sophomore Amber Nelson (.389 BA, 11 HR, 38 RBI, 36 BB) junior Hannah McCorkhill (.324 BA, 11 HR, 43 RBI), while senior Haley Hutton has hit .367 while scoring a team-best 50 runs, which ranks second in the MW. The Colorado State pitching staff has seen most of its production coming from Bridgette Hutton (9-8, 3.40 ERA, 127.2 IP) and Larisa Petakoff (8-7, 2.24 ERA, 90.2 IP), while the team's best win-loss record belongs to Kaylynn Pierce (9-3, 4.33 ERA, 87.1 IP).

BULLDOG BITES HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND
- Fresno State has an RPI of 47. The Bulldogs are 8-10 vs. teams with an RPI between 51-100.
- Colorado State has an RPI of 89. The Rams are 2-6 vs. teams with an RPI between 26-50.
- Fresno State is 36-7 all-time against CSU and has won 9 of 11 series between the teams, splitting in 1997.
- Fresno State swept CSU last year in Fresno (9-6, 3-2, 7-2).
- On Tuesday, sophomore Kamalani Dung was named MW Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week after throwing all 19 innings against New Mexico, including her eighth shutout, going 3-0 with a 0.37 ERA and 19 strikeouts. Over the last six games, Dung has thrown every inning, going 6-0 with a 1.33 ERA and 31 strikeouts.
- Dung leads the MW with 23 wins, eight shutouts, 184 strikeouts and 218.1 innings pitched. She ranks second in ERA (2.08) and opposing batting average (.212).
- In MW games only, Dung leads the conference with 11 wins, a 1.82 ERA, .208 opposing batting average and 100 innings pitched. She ranks second in strikeouts with 81 in MW play.
- Last week, Fresno State swept its second straight MW series, defeating New Mexico by scores of 5-0, 10-1 (5) and 3-1, increasing the Bulldogs' season-best winning streak to six games.
- Fresno State leads the MW in triples (16), walks (178) and sacrifice bunts (32). The Bulldogs rank second in runs (276) and RBIs (251) and third in home runs (40) and total bases (604).
- In MW games only, FS leads in triples (6) and walks (73), ranks second in slugging pct. (.479) and third in batting avg. (.306) and on-base pct. (.392).
- Fresno State pitchers lead the MW in fewest home runs allowed (24), rank second in ERA (2.97) and strikeouts (250) and third in opposing batting avg. (.253).
- In MW games only, the staff leads in ERA (2.41), fewest hits allowed (127) and fewest home runs allowed (10) and is second in opposing batting avg. (.239) and third in strikeouts (98).
- Fresno State sophomore outfielder Morgan Howe, who is on a nine-game hitting streak, ranks second in the MW in batting average (.436) and on-base percentage (.513). She has struck out just 12 times and leads the team with 18 multi-hit games.
- In MW games only, Howe ranks second in BA (.476), hits (30) and OBP (.542).
- Fresno State junior utility Savannah McHellon ranks third in the MW with 44 RBIs and fifth in home runs (10).
- Fresno State sophomore Vanessa Hernandez ranks third in the MW with 12 doubles and leads the team with 19 extra-base hits.
- Fresno State senior outfielder Kierra Willis ranks third in the MW with 35 walks this season and owns Fresno State's all-time walks record with 125, which ranks fourth-best in MW history. Her 51 career walks in MW play rank second-best in MW history.
- Willis owns the MW records for all-time triples (19) and triples in MW games (11).
- Fresno State senior utility Lindsey Willmon ranks fourth in the MW with 39 runs and has the third-best career slugging percentage (.587) in Fresno State history.
- Fresno State senior Malia Rivers leads the team with 12 stolen bases, which ranks sixth in the MW.
- Rivers ranks fourth in program history with 42 career stolen bases and has the 10th-best career batting average (.344) in Fresno State history.
- Fresno State is 6-6 in true road games, including 5-3 in MW play, this season.
- Fresno State is 15-1 when scoring in the first inning.
- Fresno State is 19-5 when the Bulldogs score first.
- Fresno State is 21-2 when scoring five runs or more.
- Fresno State's 165 walks allowed are the most in program history.

2017 BULLDOG RANKINGS (USA Today/NFCA)
Preseason – #24
Feb. 14 - #21
Feb. 21 - RV
Feb. 28 - NR
March 7 - NR
March 14 - RV
March 21 - RV
March 28 - NR
April 4 - NR
April 11 - NR
April 18 - NR
April 25 - NR
May 2 - NR
May 9 - NR

2017 FRESNO STATE
RPI RANKINGS
March 20 - 30
March 27 - 33
April 3 - 40
April 10 - 42
April 17 - 46
April 24 - 53
May 1 - 52
May 8 - 47

MOUNTAIN WEST RPI RANKINGS (5/8/17)
40 - San Diego State
47 - Fresno State
51 - San Jose State
64 - Utah State
89 - Colorado State
91 - Nevada
92 - Boise State
129 - UNLV
163 - New Mexico

2017 BULLDOGS IN NONCONFERENCE (20-12)
A-Sun - 1-1
Big 12 - 0-1
Big Sky - 2-0
Big Ten - 4-2
Big West - 5-2
Pac-12 - 3-4
SEC - 0-1
WAC - 1-0
WCC - 4-1

2017 BULLDOGS VS RANKED TEAMS
#9 Oregon (L, 4-1 – 2/10/17)
#12 Minnesota (L, 9-2 – 2/24/17)
#8 Washington (L, 5-1 – 3/4/17)
#25 BYU (W, 6-1 – 3/10/17)
#25 BYU (L, 8-6 – 3/11/17)

BULLDOGS SWEEP NEW MEXICO IN FINAL HOME SERIES OF SEASON
Last weekend, Fresno State swept New Mexico with its eighth shutout of the year in a 5-0 victory on Friday, a 10-1 run-rule win on Saturday, and a 3-1 conclusion on Sunday. It was the Bulldogs' second-straight MW sweep and increased their season-best winning streak to six games. Dung once again pitched every inning for Fresno State, going 3-0 with a 0.37 ERA and was named MW Pitcher of the Week for the second consecutive week. Fresno State hit four home runs in the series (Hernandez, Howe, McHellon, Willmon), including three in the third inning on Saturday.

BULLDOGS EARN ROAD SWEEP OVER UNLV
Fresno State swept UNLV in Las Vegas April 28-30 for its first conference sweep of the season. In each of the three games, the Bulldogs scored the go-ahead runs in the final inning, the first time the 'Dogs had done so since joining the MW in 2013. Dung threw all 23 inning for the Bulldogs, including her MW-best seventh shutout of the season on April 29, going 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA and allowing only three walks and four extra-base hits in the series. She would go on to earn MW Pitcher of the Week following the performances.

The Bulldogs needed an extra-innings rally to take down UNLV on April 28 as they defeated the Rebels 6-4 in nine innings at Eller Media Stadium. The 'Dogs took game one of a Mountain West series for the fifth time in six opportunities this year. Heading into the ninth inning with the game tied 4-4, freshman Haley Fuller led off with a single to left and was pinch run for by sophomore Kaitlyn Jennings. Senior Malia Rivers then reached on an error and freshman Miranda Rohleder knocked Jennings in with a single up the middle. Sophomore Morgan Howe came up to the plate immediately after and sent Rivers home with a single to left to give the Bulldogs their final lead of the game.

A game filled with exciting defensive plays and lights-out pitching went the way of the Bulldogs on April 29 as Dung, starting for the second game in as many days, threw her Mountain West-best seventh shutout of the season and the 'Dogs scored all three of their runs in the top of the seventh to clinch their third MW series of the year.

Junior Savannah McHellon (2-for-3) got the Bulldogs' seventh-inning rally going with a single, senior Kierra Willis knocked in the go-ahead run, and sophomore Dominique Jackson's RBI was her second of the year. Freshman Haley Fuller recorded a career-high five putouts, including three athletic plays in foul territory, and freshman second baseman Miranda Rohleder notched four assists for the third time this season.

For the first time this season, the Fresno State softball team came from behind in the seventh inning to complete the Bulldogs' sweep of UNLV with a 4-3 victory on April 30. The 'Dogs went into the final frame down 3-1 and used a combination of two doubles, a single and a walk to come out ahead.

Dung, who started all three games of a MW series for the first time in her career, was the first Fresno State pitcher to start and win all three games of a MW series since Jill Compton did so April 24-26, 2015, against Nevada. Over the weekend, Dung threw all 23 innings for the Bulldogs, going 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA and allowing only four extra-base hits and three walks.

BULLDOGS FALL IN TWO OF THREE TO SAN JOSE STATE
Fresno State defeated San Jose State on April 28, 8-2, but fell on April 29, 4-3, and April 30, 9-3. On April 28 the Bulldogs scored their most runs since recording nine against Nevada on March 31. Dung threw her 20th complete game of the season and allowed three hits or less in a start for the 13th time this season. Willmon led the Bulldogs offensively with a two-run home run. On April 29, Dung relieved Mejia in the circle with no outs in the first and pitched the rest of the game, while Rivers led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a run. On April 30, McHellon, Mejia and Santana each made an appearance and allowed nine runs on 12 hits and two walks. Willmon notched a solo home run in the game.

BULLDOGS WRAPPED UP NONCONFERENCE PLAY IN SANTA BARBARA
Fresno State sophomore pitcher Kamalani Dung tied her season-high with 10 strikeouts and allowed only four hits through the first six innings, but the Gauchos scored twice in the final frame to win 2-1 on April 19. Junior transfer Savannah McHellon knocked in the Bulldogs' lone run in the top of the fifth on a pinch-hit single up the middle.

BULLDOGS SHUT OUT SANTA CLARA, DROP TWO AT CAL
Fresno State began its spring break with a 2-0 shutout at Santa Clara on April 13. Sophomore pitcher Kamalani Dung recorded her MW-best sixth shutout of the year and allowed just one hit in the game. On April 14 at Cal, the Bulldogs fell victim to the mercy rule for the first time of the year when the Bears came out ahead 8-0 in five innings. On April 15, the Bulldogs held a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh until Cal came through and scored two runs to complete the sweep with a 2-1 victory.

BULLDOGS GET SWEPT BY UTAH STATE IN DOUBLEHEADER
Fresno State fell to Utah State 1-0 and 7-4 in a MW doubleheader on April 7, marking the first time since 2012 that the Bulldogs were swept in a conference series. Howe and Willis each recorded home runs in the second game of the day.

BULLDOGS DROP MW SERIES TO NEVADA
Fresno State defeated Nevada with a convincing 9-1 victory in six innings on March 31, but fell 8-4 on April 1 and 7-4 on April 2. Willmon hit a walk-off three-run home run on Friday and McHellon hit her own three-run home run in the game and added a solo shot on Saturday. Willis became Fresno State's all-time walks leader in the series.

BULLDOGS OUTLAST PACIFIC, 5-4
McHellon hit a three-run home run in the first inning and earned her fifth victory in the circle, while sophomore Kamalani Dung closed out the last two innings to notch her second save of the year on March 29. The Bulldogs saw five different players get a hit and score a run, while the team walked seven times.

FRESNO STATE TAKES SECOND MW SERIES, DEFEATS BOISE STATE
The Bulldogs won a MW series with Friday and Saturday wins for the second time of the season after defeating Boise State 9-0 in five innings on March 24 and 8-2 on March 25. Fresno State couldn't complete the sweep, falling 2-1 in nine innings on March 26.

Over the three-game span, the Bulldogs were walked 24 times, while the Broncos took only three free passes. Fresno State had three home runs, including two grand slams (McHellon and Hernandez) and an inside-the-park home run. Pitching was a highlight for the 'Dogs, allowing only two earned runs and 12 hits over 21 innings and striking out 17. On March 24, the Bulldogs hit grand slams in the first and second innings, the first time in program history that Fresno State has hit grand slams in consecutive innings.

BULLDOGS RALLY TO DEFEAT BAKERSFIELD, 13-11
Fresno State was down by seven in the first inning and came back to defeat the Roadrunners on March 21, using four pitchers and needing a grand slam from Howe in the process. Senior Malia Rivers had a career-high four hits in the game while junior transfer Sarah Santana earned the victory in her first appearance of the season.

BULLDOGS WIN FIRST MW SERIES OF THE SEASON
Fresno State defeated San Diego State in two out of three games in its first MW series of the year March 17-19. The Bulldogs recorded double-digit hits in each game.

On March 17, Fresno State won 10-7, hitting four home runs in the process. On March 18, the Bulldogs won 7-6 in a back-and-forth game that saw three lead changes. On March 19, Fresno State fell 6-3 while the Bulldogs sent three pitchers into the circle. The Bulldogs and Aztecs were picked to finish first and second, respectively, in the MW Preseason Coaches' Poll.

FRESNO STATE INVITATIONAL
Fresno State went 4-1 in the Fresno State Invitational March 10-12 with wins against No. 25 BYU (6-1), Oregon State (4-1, 6-2) and Sacramento State (5-2). The Bulldogs fell to No. 25 BYU 8-6 in eight innings. Over the weekend, McHellon went 2-0 with a 0.91 ERA and notched her first save of the season. She struck out five batters in her three appearances while allowing eight hits and three walks in 15.1 innings. At the plate, McHellon had four hits, including a double, and drove in five runs.

Willis hit her second and third home runs of the season and drove in five runs as well. Hernandez knocked her second ball over the fence and notched four RBIs, while Rivers had a team-high seven hits over the five games, recording five runs and five RBIs.

JUDI GARMAN CLASSIC
Fresno State went 3-2 at the Judi Garman Classic March 2-4 with wins against Long Beach State (4-2), Iowa (11-7) and Indiana (4-3). The Bulldogs fell to No. 8 Washington (5-1) and Northwestern (5-3). Over the weekend, Dung went 2-1 with a 1.98 ERA and picked up her first save of the season. She struck out a season-high 10 batters against LBSU on March 2 and notched her career-high ninth victory against Indiana on March 3.

The Bulldogs' extra-inning game against LBSU was their third of the season and in their victory over Iowa, scored in double digits for the fifth time this year. Against Northwestern, freshman Schuylar Broussard hit her first collegiate home run, while sophomore Vanessa Hernandez knocked her first one out this year. Junior Savannah McHellon's home run against Washington was the only hit for the Bulldogs in the competition.

BULLDOG CLASSIC
Fresno State went 4-2 in the Bulldog Classic Feb. 23-26 with wins against Cal Poly (3-2), UC Davis (3-0, 7-3) and Idaho State (11-6). The Bulldogs fell to now-No. 10 and undefeated Minnesota (9-2) and Cal Poly (2-0). Over the weekend, Dung went 2-1 with a 0.95 ERA, a .215 opposing batting average and notched 12 strikeouts in 22.0 innings pitched. She came close to a perfect game in Feb. 25's contest against UC Davis, as the first 14 batters were retired and she allowed only two hits with no walks in her fourth shutout of the season.

The Bulldogs' competition on Feb. 23 against Cal Poly went into extra innings and Castellon notched her first walk-off double in the 3-2 victory over eight innings. Freshman Maddi Hackbarth hit her first collegiate grand slam on Feb. 23 against Idaho State, the first grand slam for a Bulldog since Dominique Jackson on April 30, 2016, and the 10th at home since 1991.

Freshman pitcher Samantha Mejia notched the complete-game victory on Feb. 26 against UC Davis in her first collegiate start. She allowed two earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts.

PUERTO VALLARTA COLLEGE CHALLENGE
Fresno State participated in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico Feb. 23-25, going 2-3 in the tournament and landing three players on the all-tournament team: Dung, Rohleder and Willis. The Bulldogs defeated Florida Gulf Coast, 9-0, and Cal State Fullerton, 12-11, while falling to Mississippi State, 4-1, FGCU, 4-3, and Texas Tech, 9-6. The Bulldogs played in their first extra-innings game of the season against Cal State Fullerton, defeating the Titans on a walk-off double by Hernandez in the eighth.

Dung went 2-2 over the weekend, including her first collegiate no-hitter against FGCU on Feb. 24, and held opponents to a .208 batting average. Dung, who became the 21st Bulldog pitcher to throw a no-hitter and the first since Jill Compton on March 6, 2015, notched the 73rd in program history. She walked three and struck out six in the game. Rohleder hit .429 (6-for-14) with four RBIs, five runs scored and three walks, while Willis went 5-for-10 (.500) from the plate with seven walks, three runs and an RBI.

ASU KAJIKAWA CLASSIC
Fresno State began its season with a 4-1 record at the Arizona State Kajikawa Classic Feb. 10-12. The Bulldogs shut out Indiana, 2-0, and Purdue, 4-0, and defeated Stanford 24-8. The 'Dogs' first loss came to now-No. 4 Oregon, 4-1. The Bulldogs broke the program record for RBIs in a game with 23 against Stanford and tied the records for runs (24) and total bases (40). Rohleder had a stellar showing in the game, going 5-for-5 and coming a double short of hitting for the cycle. She also scored five runs and knocked in three.

Dung went 3-0 and recorded the first two shutouts of her career in the tournament, while holding opponents to a .155 batting average and notching 15 strikeouts in 17.0 innings. McHellon was named Mountain West Player of the Week following the tournament after hitting .615 (8-for-13) with two home runs, eight RBIs and a 1.154 slugging percentage.

COVERAGE
Fresno State Athletics strives to meet the needs of Bulldog fans around the country by providing several outlets to follow the 'Dogs' 2017 journey. Stay up-to-date with the latest news via Twitter (@FresnoStateSB), Facebook (Fresno State Softball), Instagram (@fresnostatesoftball) and Snapchat (FSAthletics). A full recap and final results can be found at GoBulldogs.com following each competition. Select Bulldog home games will also be broadcast live on 790 AM ESPN2 Radio, as well as streamed live on the Mountain West Network.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.