Bulldogs fall to No. 3 UCLA and CSUN to close Mary Nutter Classic

Sunday, February 25

Palm Springs, Calif.

11:30 AM

Fresno State

7-7

#3 UCLA

15-0

Fresno State

UCLA

Bulldogs fall to No. 3 UCLA and CSUN to close Mary Nutter Classic

2/25/2018 6:44:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – Fresno State fought hard against No. 3 UCLA in a 7-3 loss and fell to CSUN, 12-2, in six innings to conclude weekend play at the Mary Nutter Classic.

Fresno State (7-8) continued to hit the long ball with four home runs, including two from Hayleigh Galvan with back-to-back homers from Galvan and Vanessa Hernandez against No. 3 UCLA. The 'Dogs hit six home runs over their last four games in Palm Springs, while Galvan has now homered in three straight games.

How it Happened (UCLA Game)
Samantha Mejia set down the first four batters she faced with a pair of strikeouts, retiring four batters that all came in with batting averages above .350. The Bruins came through with four hits in the second inning, including a pair of doubles, to score three times.

The Bulldogs got a run back in the third as Schuylar Broussard had a leadoff double and came in to score from third on a sacrifice fly from Miranda Rohleder. The Bruins answered with two runs in the bottom of the third on a Taylor Pack 2-run double, but in the fourth Galvan and Hernandez led off the inning with back-to-back homers to make the score 5-3 and force UCLA to take out starting pitcher Johanna Grauer, who entered the game with a 1.69 ERA over 20.2 innings this season.

Selina Ta'amilo entered to pitch for UCLA and ended up going the last four innings while allowing just one hit and no walks with two strikeouts. The Bulldogs did get two aboard to start the sixth inning as Savannah McHellon singled and Galvan was hit by a pitch but Ta'amilo was able to pitch out of the jam.

UCLA added one run in the bottom of the 5^th and another in the 6^th on a Briana Perez home run. The Bruins improved to 15-0 with the win but had to fight for it after beating No. 7 LSU, 9-1, in five innings on the run rule on Saturday.

How it Happened (CSUN Game)
Katie Castellon and McHellon had hits in the first inning but the Bulldogs did not score. The game was scoreless into the third inning, when the Matadors got a single and a walk and were able to plate both runners on a two-out double from Megan Stevens.

McHellon got the Bulldogs on the board in the fourth inning with a leadoff home run, her team-leading fifth homer of the season. CSUN had an immediate answer in the fifth, beginning the inning with a double and an infield single before Stevens hit a 3-run home run down the left field line. The Matadors added two more runs with two away on a double from Haileigh Gonzalez.

CSUN scored five more times in the sixth, hitting another 3-run homer. Galvan hit a home run to center to open the bottom of the sixth and Dominique Jackson had a single but with a 12-2 lead the Matadors ended the game via the run rule.

Notable

As a team Fresno State has hit 18 home runs over the first 15 games this year to lead the Mountain West.
McHellon pitched in relief in the sixth inning against UCLA and struck out the side without allowing a hit or run.
McHellon hit .400 during the tournament while Castellon, Rohleder, and Galvan all hit better than .330.
Castellon and Rohleder have both reached base in eight consecutive games.
Senior Sarah Santana made her season debut pitching in relief against CSUN.
Freshman Amanda Campos made her Bulldog debut as a pinch runner vs. CSUN.

What's Next
Fresno State will play five games at the Judi Garman Classic next weekend, opening the tournament against Cal Poly and Charlotte on Friday.

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