Aztecs take softball series opener

Friday, April 20

Fresno, Calif.

6:00 PM

Fresno State

10 (5)

San Diego State

Aztecs take softball series opener

4/20/2018 8:35:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

FRESNO, Calif. – San Diego State scored multiple runs in the first, third, fourth, and fifth innings for a 10-0 win in five innings over the Bulldogs on Friday in the series opener at Margie Wright Diamond.

MW-leading Fresno State (27-16, 10-3) saw its 10-game winning streak ended while taking just its third conference loss of the season. The Bulldogs had allowed 10 total runs over their last nine games before the offensive explosion by San Diego State (14-26, 5-8 MW) on Friday.

In the start Danielle East recorded her 75^th strikeout in MW play, tying the season record for most strikeouts by a freshman in MW games. Senior Savannah McHellon had two of the four Bulldog hits in the game as the home team had base runners in four of the five innings but left eight runners aboard.

How it Happened
SDSU got on the board quickly in the top of the first as the leadoff hitter reached on an error and Shelby Thompson followed with a 2-run homer. The 'Dogs had runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the first but were held off the scoreboard and would leave another runner at third base in the second inning.

In the third inning the Aztecs scored a pair of two out runs as Kelsey Munoz had an RBI double and would score on a subsequent single by Taylor Adams paired with a Bulldog fielding error. The Bulldogs again left runners on the corners in the bottom of the third, and in the fourth inning SDSU blew the game open scoring four runs (all with two out) on four hits and a hit batter.

A walk and two singles produced two more runs for the visitors in the top of the fifth, and in the bottom half the Bulldogs had a walk, a hit by pitch, and two singles but made an out on the bases and left the bags loaded as the Aztecs finished the win.

Notable

McHellon is now tied with Miranda Rohleder for the team lead with 14 multi-hit games this season.
San Diego State was picked to win the MW in the preseason coaches' poll but had started conference play at 4-8.
Fresno State's 10-game winning streak was the longest since a program-record 23-game winning streak in 2016.
East had won six consecutive starts and in MW play was 6-1 with a 1.35 ERA entering the game.
Vanessa Hernandez saw her hitting streak end at 10 games. During the streak she hit .500 with 3 home runs, 6 doubles, 18 RBIs, 13 runs, a .941 slugging percentage, and a .541 on-base percentage.

What's Next
Fresno State, which won each of its first four MW series this season, will look to bounce back against SDSU in game two at 3 p.m. Saturday. The contest will be the team's annual Bark in the Park game with dogs admitted for free.

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