Fresno State Athletics
Sunday, March 18
Fresno, Calif.
11:00 AM
Fresno State
14-13
10
vs
2 (5)
Cal Poly
14-11
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Cal Poly
0
0
0
2
0
2
3
0
Fresno State
0
0
5
2
3
10
10
0
Bulldogs sweep Sunday doubleheader against Cal Poly
3/18/2018 5:52:00 PM | Softball
FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno State scored 19 runs over just 11 innings on Sunday at the Fresno State Friendly, recording a 10-2 run-rule win in game one and a 9-5 win in game two to sweep a doubleheader against Cal Poly.
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Fresno State (15-13) hit .413 with a .548 on-base percentage as a team on Sunday, scoring multiple runs in five of 11 offensive innings. Savannah McHellon hit her fourth home run of the weekend while Rachel Minogue was 4-for-7 with a double and 6 RBIs to lead the offensive onslaught on Sunday as the Bulldogs have now scored at least five runs in eight of their last nine games.
After a run-rule loss in the first game Cal Poly (14-12) was even with the Bulldogs into the bottom of the 5th inning in game two before the 'Dogs scored four times in the inning to pull away. Sophomore Samantha Mejia was the pitching star in the game as she threw the final 4.2 innings in relief and allowed just one hit with no walks and three strikeouts while permitting just one unearned run to earn the win.
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How it Happened (Game 1)
The game was scoreless into the bottom of the third before the 'Dogs exploded for five runs. Fresno State sent 11 hitters to the plate in the inning, loading the bases with none out on two singles and a walk before scoring their first run on a Hayleigh Galvan hit-by-pitch.
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Minogue followed with a booming double to left center to bring in all three baserunners. The 'Dogs drew two more walks to reload the bases and made it a 5-0 lead when Kaitlyn Jennings picked up the team's fourth walk of the inning. Cal Poly got two runs back as they turned two walks into two runs on a double from Hailey Martin.
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Those were the only runs scored by Cal Poly as McHellon, who was the starting pitcher for the Bulldogs, immediately got those two runs back. Katie Castellon drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning ahead of a McHellon 2-run laser shot over the wall in left center.
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McHellon went on to earn the complete-game win allowing just three hits over five innings as, with a 7-2 lead, the 'Dogs ended the game in the bottom of the fifth. Fresno State had four singles and had the bases loaded with two out with Minogue bringing in one run with a single. The team's sixth single of the inning ended the game as Schuylar Broussard hit a ball up the middle to score two and make it a 10-2 run-rule win.
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How it Happened (Game 2)
Both teams swung the bats well and capitalized on six total hit batters early in game two. Martin had another two-run double to give the Mustangs the lead in the top of the first before Minogue brought in Miranda Rohleder with a single in the bottom half.
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In the bottom of the second the Bulldogs loaded the bases with none out on two singles and a hit batter and Castellon cleared the bases with a double compounded by a Cal Poly throwing error. Later in the inning Dominique Jackson was robbed of extra-bases on a diving catch by centerfielder Amanda Sandoval but was credited with a sacrifice fly as she brought in Castellon to give the 'Dogs a 5-2 lead.
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Cal Poly scored twice on two hits and three hit batters to get within a 5-4 deficit with just one out in the top of the third. Mejia entered with the bases loaded and got a groundout and stikeout to end the inning. The Mustangs were able to tie the score in the top of the fourth, however, capitalizing on a Bulldog error.
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The 5-5 tie held into the bottom of the fifth inning. The 'Dogs started the inning with five consecutive hits, including doubles from Galvan, Vanessa Hernandez, and Jackson, to score three runs and Rohleder drove in Broussard with a fourth run in the inning on a groundout. Â
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That was more than enough run support for Mejia, who did not allow a baserunner over the last three innings and ended the game retiring 11 consecutive Cal Poly hitters. Â
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Notable
"Obviously Friday was a tough day; we did what we needed to do offensively and obviously I wish we could have found a way to push in one or two more runs and win those games. Our offense is in a place where we are scoring runs and finding ways to win and that's what it's going to take in conference. With our pitchers, we're kind of getting to know what we have and what we don't have and learning how to work with it. I'm very pleased with how we took these last two games; we found ways to get runs home and we got great (pitching) performances from Sam and Savannah."
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On starting Mountain West play next week…
"We open up with Colorado State and they had an amazing pre (conference) season. They return everybody and they are a well-groomed staff. I think it's great that we get to open up conference play at home and for us the goal is to keep getting better. There are still some things we need to get better at defensively and in some situations offensively. We have a young, developing (pitching) staff and our job is to find ways to help them grow."
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On the 1998 Championship celebration next weekend…
"This will be a major weekend for Bulldog Softball. To be able to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the title and bring Coach Wright back as well as the championship team members is a big deal. We're going to welcome back all alumni but we have a special ceremony planned to honor the 1998 team. That was the first national championship here at Fresno State and I would love to get this stadium filled the way it was when they played. I want 3,000 people out here and to show the current athletes how much tradition lives here. Many of the 1998 players will be here and I think as a softball community we owe it to them to show how prideful we are as a campus and in the city of Fresno."
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What's Next
The Bulldogs hosts Colorado State next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Margie Wright Diamond. The series opener will be Friday at 6 p.m. For Saturday's game, which will feature a pregame ceremony honoring the 1998 team, gates will open early at 1 p.m. with first pitch schedule for 3 p.m.
 "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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Fresno State (15-13) hit .413 with a .548 on-base percentage as a team on Sunday, scoring multiple runs in five of 11 offensive innings. Savannah McHellon hit her fourth home run of the weekend while Rachel Minogue was 4-for-7 with a double and 6 RBIs to lead the offensive onslaught on Sunday as the Bulldogs have now scored at least five runs in eight of their last nine games.
After a run-rule loss in the first game Cal Poly (14-12) was even with the Bulldogs into the bottom of the 5th inning in game two before the 'Dogs scored four times in the inning to pull away. Sophomore Samantha Mejia was the pitching star in the game as she threw the final 4.2 innings in relief and allowed just one hit with no walks and three strikeouts while permitting just one unearned run to earn the win.
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How it Happened (Game 1)
The game was scoreless into the bottom of the third before the 'Dogs exploded for five runs. Fresno State sent 11 hitters to the plate in the inning, loading the bases with none out on two singles and a walk before scoring their first run on a Hayleigh Galvan hit-by-pitch.
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Minogue followed with a booming double to left center to bring in all three baserunners. The 'Dogs drew two more walks to reload the bases and made it a 5-0 lead when Kaitlyn Jennings picked up the team's fourth walk of the inning. Cal Poly got two runs back as they turned two walks into two runs on a double from Hailey Martin.
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Those were the only runs scored by Cal Poly as McHellon, who was the starting pitcher for the Bulldogs, immediately got those two runs back. Katie Castellon drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the inning ahead of a McHellon 2-run laser shot over the wall in left center.
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McHellon went on to earn the complete-game win allowing just three hits over five innings as, with a 7-2 lead, the 'Dogs ended the game in the bottom of the fifth. Fresno State had four singles and had the bases loaded with two out with Minogue bringing in one run with a single. The team's sixth single of the inning ended the game as Schuylar Broussard hit a ball up the middle to score two and make it a 10-2 run-rule win.
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How it Happened (Game 2)
Both teams swung the bats well and capitalized on six total hit batters early in game two. Martin had another two-run double to give the Mustangs the lead in the top of the first before Minogue brought in Miranda Rohleder with a single in the bottom half.
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In the bottom of the second the Bulldogs loaded the bases with none out on two singles and a hit batter and Castellon cleared the bases with a double compounded by a Cal Poly throwing error. Later in the inning Dominique Jackson was robbed of extra-bases on a diving catch by centerfielder Amanda Sandoval but was credited with a sacrifice fly as she brought in Castellon to give the 'Dogs a 5-2 lead.
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Cal Poly scored twice on two hits and three hit batters to get within a 5-4 deficit with just one out in the top of the third. Mejia entered with the bases loaded and got a groundout and stikeout to end the inning. The Mustangs were able to tie the score in the top of the fourth, however, capitalizing on a Bulldog error.
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The 5-5 tie held into the bottom of the fifth inning. The 'Dogs started the inning with five consecutive hits, including doubles from Galvan, Vanessa Hernandez, and Jackson, to score three runs and Rohleder drove in Broussard with a fourth run in the inning on a groundout. Â
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That was more than enough run support for Mejia, who did not allow a baserunner over the last three innings and ended the game retiring 11 consecutive Cal Poly hitters. Â
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Notable
- Over the last two weeks (nine games) McHellon has hit 6 home runs and 3 doubles and has 16 RBIs. She leads the Mountain West with 12 home runs this season as just two payers in NCAA Div. I entered the weekend with more than 12 homers this year. Â
- Fresno State is 10-4 at home this season and has averaged 6.7 runs scored per game. Galvan is hitting .457 with a .574 on-base percentage at home and has reached base in all 14 home games with a 10-game home hitting streak.
- The Bulldogs beat Cal Poly three times this year. The teams previously met at the Judi Garman Classic with McHellon hitting a walk-off homer to give the 'Dogs a 3-2 win in a game that was suspended on a Friday and completed two days later.
- Fresno State batters had five hit-by-pitches over the two games on Sunday to extend their MW lead to 40 hit-by-pitches in 28 games this season.
- The first game on Sunday was the 13th Fresno State game this season that was not completed in seven innings. The team has now played 10 games this year that were ended prior to the seventh inning via the 8-run rule.
- Fresno State had been successful on 21 consecutive stolen base attempts before a caught stealing on Sunday.
- Head Coach Linda Garza
"Obviously Friday was a tough day; we did what we needed to do offensively and obviously I wish we could have found a way to push in one or two more runs and win those games. Our offense is in a place where we are scoring runs and finding ways to win and that's what it's going to take in conference. With our pitchers, we're kind of getting to know what we have and what we don't have and learning how to work with it. I'm very pleased with how we took these last two games; we found ways to get runs home and we got great (pitching) performances from Sam and Savannah."
Â
On starting Mountain West play next week…
"We open up with Colorado State and they had an amazing pre (conference) season. They return everybody and they are a well-groomed staff. I think it's great that we get to open up conference play at home and for us the goal is to keep getting better. There are still some things we need to get better at defensively and in some situations offensively. We have a young, developing (pitching) staff and our job is to find ways to help them grow."
Â
On the 1998 Championship celebration next weekend…
"This will be a major weekend for Bulldog Softball. To be able to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the title and bring Coach Wright back as well as the championship team members is a big deal. We're going to welcome back all alumni but we have a special ceremony planned to honor the 1998 team. That was the first national championship here at Fresno State and I would love to get this stadium filled the way it was when they played. I want 3,000 people out here and to show the current athletes how much tradition lives here. Many of the 1998 players will be here and I think as a softball community we owe it to them to show how prideful we are as a campus and in the city of Fresno."
Â
What's Next
The Bulldogs hosts Colorado State next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Margie Wright Diamond. The series opener will be Friday at 6 p.m. For Saturday's game, which will feature a pregame ceremony honoring the 1998 team, gates will open early at 1 p.m. with first pitch schedule for 3 p.m.
 "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
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: McHellon, Savannah (2-1)
L: Chalmers, Lindsey (9-4)
Batting:
2B: Martin, Hailey 1
RBI: Martin, Hailey 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Heyward, Stephanie 1 ; Kaiser, Crimson 1
SB: Convissar, Chelsea 1
Batting:
2B: Minogue, Rachel 1
HR: McHellon, Savannah 1
RBI: McHellon, Savannah 2 ; Galvan, Hayleigh 1 ; Minogue, Rachel 4 ; Broussard, Schuylar 2 ; Jennings, Kaitlyn 1
SH: Castellon, Katie 1 ; Broussard, Schuylar 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rohleder, Miranda 1 ; Castellon, Katie 2 ; McHellon, Savannah 2 ; Cuevas-Iñiguez, Aaliyah 1 ; Galvan, Hayleigh 1 ; Stevens, Dolly 1 ; Minogue, Rachel 1 ; Jennings, Kaitlyn 1
CS: Jennings, Kaitlyn 1
HBP: Castellon, Katie 1 ; Galvan, Hayleigh 1 ; Broussard, Schuylar 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
C/OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballDP/RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballIF
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