Fresno State
37-10
Minnesota
29-12
Fresno State upsets No. 24 Minnesota in regional opener
5/21/2021 11:29:00 PM | Softball
LOS ANGELES – The Fresno State softball team upset No. 24 Minnesota 3-0 in the first game of the NCAA Regional, Friday night in Easton Stadium. The Bulldogs (37-10, 20-4 MW) handed the Gophers (29-12, 29-11 Big 10) their fourth shutout loss of the season.
Fresno State had hot bats, recording 11 hits in the contest. The Bulldogs' three runs were all scored with two outs on the board. Fresno State had three players go 2-for-4 at the plate, including senior Schuylar Broussard who chalked two RBIs.
Right-handed pitcher Hailey Dolcini was dominant in the circle, recording a complete game shutout with 13 strikeouts. The senior owns a nation-leading 14 shutouts on the season. Minnesota was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and seven out of the eight were left stranded by strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENEDÂ
The game was a pitcher's duel to start between Dolcini and Gopher ace Amber Fiser. The contest was scoreless through five and a half innings. In the top of the sixth, Keahilele Mattson and Vanessa M. Hernandez rattled off back-to-back singles to put two runners on base. Adrianna Noriega laid down a sacrifice bunt to move them into scoring positions. Hayleigh Galvan was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the Bulldogs with two outs. Broussard hit a clutch two-RBI single to right field, giving Fresno State a 2-0 lead.
The Gophers looked to strike back by hitting a leadoff single to start the bottom half of the frame followed by a hit by pitch to get two runners on base without an out. Dolcini and the defense protected the lead by retiring the next three batters, including two by strikeout.
The Bulldogs extended their lead in the top of the seventh. Miranda Rohleder hit a one-out single to right field and Mattson brought her home after smashing a double to right center. Fresno State secured the win by sending Minnesota down in order in the bottom half of the inning. Dolcini sent two down by strikeout to put up 13 strikeouts in her outing, marking her 13th game with 10+. Fresno State claimed its 20th shutout of the season.
QUOTES
Interim Head Coach Jodie Cox
"I am so proud of this group of women. I talk a lot about their resiliency. We had a plan and we executed that plan from the first pitch. We stuck to our plan and had a purpose. I couldn't be more proud of this team."
Hailey Dolcini, Sr., RHP
"It felt good. It felt like everything was working for us tonight. As a team, we went out on the field with no fear. We weren't afraid and I think that showed. Our offense really put the pressure on Minnesota. It took us a few innings to string the hits together, but we kept applying the pressure until we broke through. We had shutdown defense. It felt good all around. I believe we represented Fresno State and the Mountain West well tonight with this win."
UP NEXTÂ
Fresno State will face No. 2 UCLA tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. PT. UCLA defeated Long Beach State 8-0 (5 Inn.) in the opening round.
Minnesota and Long Beach State will play in the elimination bracket tomorrow at 4 p.m.
"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
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dolcini, Hailey (22-4)
L: Amber Fiser (15-9)
Batting:
2B: Rohleder, Miranda 1 ; Mattson, Keahilele 1
RBI: Mattson, Keahilele 1 ; Broussard, Schuylar 2
SH: Noriega, Adrianna 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rohleder, Miranda 1 ; Mattson, Keahilele 1 ; Hernandez, Vanessa M. 1
SB: Cuevas-Iñiguez, Aaliyah 1
HBP: Galvan, Hayleigh 1
Batting:
SH: Sydney Strelow 1
Base Running:
HBP: Natalie DenHartog 1
