'Dogs battle past UIC, Ohio State

Friday, February 21

Fresno, CA

5:00 PM PT

Fresno State

10-3

Chicago

4-3

Chicago

Fresno State

'Dogs battle past UIC, Ohio State

2/21/2020 11:30:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery

By: Taylor Martinez / Communications Assistant

FRESNO, Calif. – Two complete games by Bulldog pitchers and a pair of home runs in the nightcap, propelled Fresno State to wins over University of Illinois at Chicago (1-0) and Ohio State (9-4) in the Fresno State Invitational at Margie Wright Diamond on Friday. The Bulldogs improved to 11-3 on the year, and an 8-0 mark at home

Junior pitcher Hailey Dolcini threw a career-high 15 strikeouts in the shutout win over UIC. She was dominant from start to finish, striking out five of the first seven batters, while only allowing four hits in the game. In the second of back-to-back games, sophomore Danielle Lung through her second complete game of the season, recording seven strikeouts, en route to defeating the Buckeyes.

While it was a pitcher's duel in game one, seniors Kaitlyn Jennings and Schuylar Broussard smashed back-to-to back home runs in a pivotal fourth inning to help push the Bulldogs past Ohio State in game two. Senior Miranda Rohleder was solid for the 'Dogs at the plate going 2-of-2 against the Buckeyes, with three runs scored and an RBI.

"Dolcini and Lung came out with the intention of dominating the competition," said head coach Linda Garza. "They found a way to get it done for us in the circle tonight. For Dolcini to get 15 strikeouts in the first game, she was just completely dominating the zone. It was great to see these performances from our pitchers so early in the season. I think we are a team that people are worried about. We have dangerous qualities on both the offensive side, and in the bullpen. We know we still have improvements to make, but I'm happy to see us get these two victories tonight."

How it happened
vs. UIC – The game between the Bulldogs and the Flames proved to be a defensive battle, as both pitchers showed that by sending each of the first three batters down they faced.

UIC logged the first hit of the game in the top of the second with a leadoff double, but Dolcini held the Flames there striking out the next three batters. After both teams retired one another in order in the third, the Flames hit another leadoff double in the fourth and followed it with a single. Dolcini struck out the next batter for the first out, Alesia Denby and Schuylar Broussard completed a double play to end the inning and strand a runner.

Dolcini retired the side in the fifth inning with three-straight strikeouts. In the home half, Rohleder tallied Fresno State's first hit of the game with a deep double to left field, she advanced to third on a throwing error and was sent home after the UIC throw traveled into the home dugout. It proved to be a costly error, as it was the game's only run scored between both sides.

Dolcini retired five-straight batters before the Flames attempted to rally with a two-out single through the right side in the seventh, but Dolcini would seal the win with her 15th strikeout of the game for the final out.

vs. Ohio State – Alike game one, Bulldog pitching retired the side in order against OSU. Fresno State sophomore McKenzie Wilson reached base on a fielding error to start the home half of the first and stole second base on the next pitch. Broussard drew a walk, next, to fill first base and put two runners on base. Hayleigh Galvan reached base on a fielding error by the third baseman, and Wilson ran home to give Fresno State a 1-0 lead.

The Buckeyes opened the second inning with back-to-back singles, and followed with a third-straight single scored two. Lung settled in afterwards, and retired the next three batters to end the inning. After Fresno State went down in order in second, the Buckeyes logged two hits in the top of the third to bring home another run to push their lead to 3-1.

Jennings started a four-run inning for the Bulldogs in the bottom of the third with a leadoff home run over the right center fence. Broussard made it back-to-back home runs over the right center fence to tie the game 3-3. The Bulldogs kept the train rolling with the third-straight hit of the inning, a Galvan double to left field that was nearly the third-straight home run, hitting the padding of the fence. Fresno State showed restraint at the plate to draw back-to-back walks from Rohleder and Denby. Vanessa Hernandez stepped in to pinch hit and smacked a RBI single through the left side to give the Bulldogs the lead. The Bulldogs finished the inning scoring on a fielder's choice, taking a 5-3 lead after a dynamic third inning at the plate.

Fresno State extended its lead in the fifth inning to 7-3. Rohleder hit a leadoff single and Alexandra Preston followed with a drawn walk. Kelsey Hall hit a chopper to left field, bringing in two runs for the 'Dogs.

The Buckeyes added their final run in the sixth inning, and was countered by two more runs by the Bulldogs in the bottom half to help close out a 9-4 win.

What's next – Fresno State will face UIC on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. PT in Margie Wright Diamond.

"Fresno State Athletics: The Pride of the Valley" – The Bulldog Foundation creates championship experiences for Fresno State student-athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in life. To become a BDF member, please visit bulldogfoundation.org.

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