Fresno State
20-7, 8-1
New Mexico
2-26, 1-5
Dolcini chalks up perfect game, Fresno State completes series sweep
4/3/2021 2:53:00 PM | Softball
FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State softball team completed the series sweep over New Mexico on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Lobos 14-0 in five innings. The Bulldogs continue their dominance in Mountain West place, improving to 20-7 (8-1 MW) on the season to remain atop the conference standings.
Junior right-handed pitcher Hailey Dolcini pitched a perfect game against New Mexico, chalking 12 strikeouts. This marks the second perfect game of her career and the 17th perfect game in program history. Dolcini finished the series with 30 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA.
Fresno State saw three home runs in the contest, one of those coming from sophomore Adriana Noriega who 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs. Freshmen Keahilele Mattson and Lexie Webb also went deep for the Bulldogs. Mattson finished the day going 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Kelcey Carrasco also recorded a multi-hit game.
HOW IT HAPPENEDÂ
New Mexico's offense was completely shut down by Dolcini as she retired 12 out of 15 batters by strikeout.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Kaitlin Jennings made her way around the bases all by herself with a hit by pitch, two passed balls and a stolen base.
Fresno State's offense found its groove in the bottom of the second inning, tallying six runs off of five hits to take a 7-0 lead over New Mexico.
The Bulldogs finished the game in the fourth inning after pouring on seven more runs. Mattson delivered a leadoff home run to center field off the first pitch of the inning, her fifth of the season. Noriega made it back-to-back home runs with a solo shot of her own to center field. The Lobos made a quick pitching change but a walk and a single from Avery Lawley put two Bulldogs on base. Webb launched a three-RBI home run over the left field fence, her second of the season, to put the 'Dogs up 12-0. The lineup circled back around and Mattson finished off the inning with a two-RBI double, marking a season-high 14 runs for the Bulldogs.
Fresno State recorded its 11th shutout of the season and 10th victory by run rule.
QUOTES:Â
Head Coach Linda Garza
On the series…
"It doesn't matter who our opponent is at this point in the season. We don't focus on that. We focus on this process. I'm happy that we were able to be back in Margie Wright Diamond and have this type of performance in front of fans. Today, our offense and our defense showed up."
On Hailey Dolcini…
"Everything that Hailey Dolcini gets out there, she earns. She works hard all the time. She shows up early and she does her due diligence in her job. She believes in herself and we believe in her. I'm so happy she gets to reap these benefits. I love that Hailey is a Bulldog and she is amongst the greats that have pitched here. I've had the pleasure of being able to watch a ton of great pitchers come through here and I'm happy to say I'm watching some of the best pitching that Fresno State has ever had."
Junior Hailey Dolcini
"I think that it was a great series all around. None of this happens if the offense doesn't put up the runs and the defense doesn't have a solid outing. When everyone is doing their job, it allows us to have fun while we are playing. We just need to keep rolling with it."
"I'm aware of how many strikeouts that I have but I try not to dive too deep into it. I want to focus on winning each pitch and beating whoever is in the box."
Â
WHAT'S NEXTÂ
Fresno State will host Santa Clara in a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday, April 6 starting at 3:30 p.m. PT. Â
"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.Â
 Â
Follow us on:
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateSB
Instagram:Â FresnoStateSoftball
Facebook:Â FresnoStateSoftball
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dolcini, Hailey (12-3)
L: GUINDON, Emma (1-15)
Batting:
2B: Mattson, Keahilele 1 ; Denby, Alesia 1
3B: Noriega, Adrianna 1
HR: Mattson, Keahilele 1 ; Noriega, Adrianna 1 ; Webb, Lexie 1
RBI: Carrasco, Kelcey 2 ; Mattson, Keahilele 3 ; Noriega, Adrianna 2 ; Hernandez, Vanessa M. 1 ; Webb, Lexie 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Jennings, Kaitlyn 2 ; Steele, Mackenna 1 ; Galvan, Hayleigh 1 ; Carrasco, Kelcey 1 ; Clifton, Bailey 1 ; Mattson, Keahilele 1 ; Noriega, Adrianna 2 ; Martinez, Julianna 1 ; Denby, Alesia 2 ; Broussard, Schuylar 1 ; Webb, Lexie 1
SB: Jennings, Kaitlyn 2
HBP: Jennings, Kaitlyn 1
