Lung throws shutout as 'Dogs split day two of South Florida Tournament

Saturday, February 8

Tampa, FL

6:15 AM PT

Fresno State

3-0

Illinois State

1-3

FRESNO STATE

ILLINOIS STATE

Photo by: Kiel Maddox

Lung throws shutout as 'Dogs split day two of South Florida Tournament

2/8/2020 4:38:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Taylor Martinez / Communications Assistant

TAMPA, Fla. – The Fresno State softball team posted a 3-0 shutout over Illinois State and fell in a hard-fought battle to No. 7 Florida 6-4, on Saturday afternoon in the USF Softball Stadium.

Fresno State becomes 3-1 on the season.

Sophomore Danielle Lung was in the circle for the Bulldogs against Illinois State (1-3). She pitched a complete game with 12 strikeouts and zero walks. Lung owns a 2-0 record and a 0.57 era in the tournament. Against Florida (3-0), the Bulldogs went to their bullpen relying on three pitchers throughout the game. Lung returned to circle to finish the last three innings of the game against the Gators, she had two strikeouts and only allowed one hit.

Against, the Red Birds, Kaitlyn Jennings led the offense with a RBI triple and a solo shot home run to score two of the three Bulldog runs. McKenzie Wilson was also solid at the plate for the Bulldogs, going 2-for-3 at the plate and scoring one run.It was a team effort offensively against the Gators. Miranda Rohleder, Schuylar Broussard and Hayleigh Galvan all recorded two hits apiece off the Top 10 team.

"Danielle Lung threw a gem of a game against Illinois State," said head coach Linda Garza. "Coach Jodie Cox called a great game and Lung executed the calls. Kaitlyn Jennings was clutch for us throughout the entire game. I loved our fight against Florida. We battled all game both defensively and at the plate. We were one pitch and one swing away from wining that game. Overall, I saw some promising things for the season."

How it Happened – vs. Illinois State
Illinois State's Morgan Day retired the first three Bulldog batters. In the second inning. Galvan was the first Bulldog to get on base after drawing a walk, but Day would send down the next three batters to keep Fresno State without a hit for two innings.

Fresno State got its offense going with back-to-back singles from Rohleder and Wilson, but a strikeout to end the inning. Lung would retake the circle and deal three strikeouts to keep the game scoreless through three innings.

Galvan hit a leadoff double to start the fourth inning. The Red Birds fought back to log two outs, but Jennings sent a two-out triple off the wall to give Fresno State a 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs continued to build their offensive momentum in the fifth inning. Wilson hit a leadoff single and stole second base on the next pitch. Freshman Kelsey Hall would reach first base on sacrifice and an error, and quickly stole one, to put runners on second and third base. Broussard picked up where she left off yesterday and sent a shot to bring another run home.

Lung continued to be a force in the circle, ending the fifth inning with her 10^th strikeout of the game.

Jennings stepped into the batter's box at the top of the sixth and sent a leadoff home run over the center field fence, giving the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead. Fresno State's defense stayed tough sending the Illinois State batters down in order to end the sixth inning.

Rohleder and Alesia Denby combined for a huge double play to chalk the first two outs. Lung finished the game with a strikeout to make it a dozen on the game.

How it Happened – vs. No. 7 Florida
Redshirt Dariana Orme started the game in the circle for the Bulldogs, her first start of the season. Florida got its offense going straight away with three straight singles to bring home the first run of the game. Fresno State battled back with a double play from Broussard, Rohleder and Denby. The Gators flew out to left field for the final out of the top of the first inning.

Florida would retire the first two batters, but Broussard rallied with a two-out double. Galvan joined in the rally with a single, putting runners on the corners. The inning ended with a ground out, and the Gators up 1-0 after one.

The Gators extended their lead to 2-0 after a two-out double send a runner home. Broussard stopped the two-out rally with a clutch play at shortstop to end the inning.
Florida loaded the bases to start the third, but a strikeout and turned double play from Broussard would get the Bulldogs out of a jam and back up to bat. Hall hit a laser out to center field for a leadoff triple, and Broussard would follow with an RBI single to get the Bulldogs on the board. Fresno State tied the game after Jennings hit a 2-RBI single to send two runs home, Julianna Martinez and Rohleder both beat the tags at home to complete the play. After three innings, the game was tied 3-3.

The Gators brought home two more runs in the fourth inning to retake the led, 5-3. Florida would extend its lead in the next inning with a solo home run.

The Bulldogs, down by three runs, didn't show any quit as Alexandra Preston hit a solo home run to make it a two-run game after five innings.

Lung and the defense combined to keep the Gators without a hit for the next two innings, giving the Bulldogs the opportunity for the walk off at the bottom of the seventh. Broussard reached first base on an error and Galvan followed with a single to put two runners on without any outs. Fresno State would load the bases with one out, but Florida's Natalie Lugo would strikeout two consecutive batters to halt Fresno State from completing the comeback.

What's next – Fresno State will finish the South Florida Tournament with a game against No. 17 Michigan tomorrow at 6 a.m. PT.

"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.

Follow us on:
Twitter: @FresnoStateSB
Instagram: FresnoStateSoftball
Facebook: FresnoStateSoftball