Feb. 12, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - The Santa Clara softball team came up short in both games of its season-opening doubleheader with No. 25 Fresno State this evening, falling 10-1 and 12-1 to the Bulldogs at Bulldog Stadium.
In the first game, the Broncos failed to score junior Jackie Nicora, who singled to right in the opening inning and Fresno State jumped out to a 2-0 lead when Hannah Williams singled to right field to drive in two runs.
Neither team was able to get anything going in the second inning, as Santa Clara was left with two on base when Bulldog pitcher Morgan Melloh struck out her third batter of the inning, while the Bronco defense helped senior pitcher Kaitlyn Rauschnot go three-up, three-down.
Sophomore Briana Knight began the third inning with a single and was able to advance to third by way of junior Jenna Fong's sacrifice and Nicora's groundout, but Santa Clara couldn't get her home to pull within a run of the Bulldogs.
In the bottom of the third, Fresno State took control of the game when Williams drove in three runs with a shot over the left field fence, and ultimately scored five runs in the inning to chase Rauschnot back into the dugout.
Melloh then walked one and struck out three in the top of the fourth to deflate the Broncos even further. Fong relieved Rauschnot when it was Santa Clara's turn to take the field but did not have much success either, giving up three runs on three hits and three walks before striking out Haley Gilleland to end the inning 10-0 in favor of the Bulldogs.
Leadoff woman Knight led the way for the Bronco offense on the night, getting two of the four hits Melloh gave up and ruining the Bulldog's shutout with a homer to center field in the fifth inning. Sophomore right fielder Catherine Surane also had a hit on the night, singling in the second inning.
In the second game, Fong started in the circle but was quickly replaced by freshman Ali Nash when the Fresno State offense scored seven runs on six hits and an error. Nash got things under control, getting her first career strikeout on her first batter faced and getting help from Surane on a groundout to third to end the inning.
Nash had help from the defense in the second to put down the first two Bulldog batters, but Courtney Moore dashed her hopes of sitting all three down in her first full inning, homering to right center to extend the lead to 8-0.
Santa Clara was unable to get any offense going for the third straight inning and Fresno State put the game even further out of reach for the Broncos by scoring four runs to make it 12-0.
In the fourth, Knight hit her second home run of the night, sailing the ball to right center for the only Santa Clara run. Nash gave up one hit to the leadoff Bulldog batter in the fourth and Kaitlin Griffin hit into a double play to end the inning after Nicole Angene popped up to sophomore Kristin Welsh.
Welsh singled to center field to reach with two outs in the fifth, but freshman Jamie Wallis' fielder's choice to short forced out Welsh at second to end the game.
The Broncos, now 0-2, return to the Bay Area to play a doubleheader at San Jose State on Sunday beginning at noon.