Fresno State Athletics
Friday, February 9
Tempe, Ariz.
8:00 AM PT
Fresno State
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#3 Oregon
2-0
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5
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E
Fresno State
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Oregon
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Bulldogs drop season opener vs. No. 3 Oregon
2/9/2018 12:04:00 PM | Softball
TEMPE, Ariz. – Fresno State dropped its 2018 season opener on Friday as No. 3 Oregon improved to 2-0 this season with an 8-0 win in five innings Friday morning at the Kajikawa Classic.
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The Ducks, who were a national semifinalist last season and returned their entire pitching staff, earned their second win of the tournament while the Bulldogs lost their first game of the year. True freshman Danielle East got the start in the circle for the 'Dogs while senior Savannah McHellon notched the lone hit for Fresno State with a single in the first inning. Oregon pitcher Miranda Elish threw a shutout allowing one hit and one walk with nine strikeouts.
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How It Happened
East gave up a leadoff bunt single in the first but got the next three outs to retire the side. In the second inning, she struck out the leadoff hitter but allowed a walk and three singles – two of them infield singles – as the Ducks scratched across two runs.
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Oregon added two runs quickly in the third inning as Jenna Lilley had a leadoff single and Shannon Rhodes lined a home run to right center. Samantha Mejia came in for East and her first pitch turned into a towering home run to left by Gwen Svekis.
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After the homer, Mejia retired the side and set down the Ducks in order in the fourth. In the fifth inning, a hit batter and a walk put two on for Mary Iakopo, who doubled to left center to make the score 6-0. The 'Dogs issued an intentional walk to load the bases before Lauren Lindvall singled to center to score two runs and give the Ducks a walk-off on the run rule.
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Notable
The Bulldogs play two more Pac-12 teams on Saturday, facing Stanford at 8 a.m. Pacific time and No. 7 Arizona at 4 p.m. Pacific. The Stanford game will be televised live on the Pac-12 Network and Pac-12.com/Live.
 "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.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateSB
Instagram:Â FresnoStateSoftball
Facebook:Â FresnoStateSoftball
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The Ducks, who were a national semifinalist last season and returned their entire pitching staff, earned their second win of the tournament while the Bulldogs lost their first game of the year. True freshman Danielle East got the start in the circle for the 'Dogs while senior Savannah McHellon notched the lone hit for Fresno State with a single in the first inning. Oregon pitcher Miranda Elish threw a shutout allowing one hit and one walk with nine strikeouts.
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How It Happened
East gave up a leadoff bunt single in the first but got the next three outs to retire the side. In the second inning, she struck out the leadoff hitter but allowed a walk and three singles – two of them infield singles – as the Ducks scratched across two runs.
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Oregon added two runs quickly in the third inning as Jenna Lilley had a leadoff single and Shannon Rhodes lined a home run to right center. Samantha Mejia came in for East and her first pitch turned into a towering home run to left by Gwen Svekis.
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After the homer, Mejia retired the side and set down the Ducks in order in the fourth. In the fifth inning, a hit batter and a walk put two on for Mary Iakopo, who doubled to left center to make the score 6-0. The 'Dogs issued an intentional walk to load the bases before Lauren Lindvall singled to center to score two runs and give the Ducks a walk-off on the run rule.
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Notable
- The 'Dogs had three baserunners in the game, getting a walk from Schuylar Broussard and putting a runner on via an Oregon error in addition to the McHellon single.
- Junior Emily Brodner, making her Bulldog debut at catcher, threw out the first stolen base attempt against her in the second inning.
- Fresno State is 3-2 in its last five season openers, with both losses against Oregon in Tempe.
- Junior Kaitlyn Jennings made her first career start and had her first career at-bats.
- East, Brodner, Rachel Minogue, Hayleigh Galvan, and Hailee Rios all made their Fresno State debuts in the game.
The Bulldogs play two more Pac-12 teams on Saturday, facing Stanford at 8 a.m. Pacific time and No. 7 Arizona at 4 p.m. Pacific. The Stanford game will be televised live on the Pac-12 Network and Pac-12.com/Live.
 "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.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateSB
Instagram:Â FresnoStateSoftball
Facebook:Â FresnoStateSoftball
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Elish, Miranda (1-0)
L: East, Danielle (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Iakopo, Mary 2
HR: Rhodes, Shannon 1 ; Svekis, Gwen 1
RBI: Mack, Alexis 1 ; Rhodes, Shannon 2 ; Svekis, Gwen 1 ; Iakopo, Mary 1 ; Lindvall, Lauren 2 ; Bowden, Shaye 1
SH: Lilley, Jenna 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lilley, Jenna 1 ; Rhodes, Shannon 1 ; Svekis, Gwen 2 ; Camuso, Mia 1 ; Burke, Lauren 1 ; Sanders, DJ 1 ; Lindvall, Lauren 1
CS: Mack, Alexis 1
HBP: Svekis, Gwen 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
LHP
/ Softball
C/OF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballDP/RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
IF
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