‘Dogs open home schedule with 6-2 win over UCSB

Thursday, March 7

Fresno, Calif.

1 P.M. PT

Fresno State

9-6

UC Santa Barbara

4-12

UC Santa Barbara

Fresno State

‘Dogs open home schedule with 6-2 win over UCSB

3/7/2019 4:35:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

FRESNO, Calif. – In its first home game of the season Fresno State got multi-hit games from Rachel Minogue, McKenzie Wilson, and Vanessa Hernandez and Hailey Dolcini allowed just two runs with five strikeouts and no walks as the 'Dogs opened the Bulldog Classic with a 6-2 win over UC Santa Barbara.

Fresno State (9-6) won its third straight game overall and its first home contest after playing the first 14 games of the season away from Fresno. UC Santa Barbara (4-12) lost its seventh consecutive game and was defeated by the 'Dogs for the second time in the last two seasons.

Minogue was 3-for-4 with a double to bump her season batting average up to .378 while Wilson and Hernandez both had two hits and two RBIs to lead the 'Dogs offensively. Dolcini improved to 5-1 on the season as she scattered 10 hits and had five strikeouts while recording her fourth complete game of the year and her first without issuing a walk.

How it Happened
Both teams threatened but did not score in the first inning, and after Dolcini set UCSB down in order in the top of the second the Bulldogs got on the board in the bottom half. Fresno State loaded the bases on a Schuylar Broussard single and walks from Kelcey Carrasco and Jade Nua and, with two out, Wilson chopped single through the right side to drive in two (watch). Miranda Rohleder followed with a bunt single to third to bring in Nua and put the 'Dogs up 3-0.

Fresno State added to its lead with a run in the third inning as Minogue and Hernandez began the inning with back-to-back doubles (watch). UCSB left a pair of runners on base in the fourth inning but in the fifth the Gauchos broke through as their first three batters opened the inning double-triple-single to score twice and cut the Bulldog lead to 4-2.

UCSB got the tying run to the plate in the top of the sixth after a one-out double but the runner would be stranded as Dolcini ended the inning with a strikeout (watch). The 'Dogs pushed across two insurance runs in the home half of the sixth, loading the bases with nobody out and scoring a run on a Hayleigh Galvan RBI groundout. Two batters later Hernandez brought home Rohleder with a single to make it a 6-2 game.

The Gauchos continued to fight with a pair of singles in the seventh inning but Dolcini got a fly out to end the game (watch).

Notable

Hernandez has driven in multiple runs in four consecutive games, hitting 7-for-14 (.500) with two home runs, three doubles, and nine RBIs over the last four contests.
Fresno State is 6-1 in the seven games Dolcini has started this season as she has allowed two earned runs or fewer in all eight of her appearances.
The Bulldogs have won every game this year in which they've held a lead.
Galvan has reached base in all 15 games this year.
Fresno State and UC Santa Barbara will play again on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday's game was the first of 28 home games for the 'Dogs this season.

Up Next
Fresno State plays twice among five games to be played on Friday in the Bulldog Classic. The 'Dogs are scheduled to take on North Dakota at 5 p.m. and Montana at 7:30 p.m. after three neutral site games beginning at 9 a.m. See the full schedule in Tournament Central.

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