Fresno State Athletics
Friday, March 9
Fresno, Calif.
5:30 PM
Fresno State
10-10
9
vs
0 (5)
Cleveland State
8-8
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Cleveland State
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
Fresno State
3
0
1
0
5
9
11
0
McHellon leads Bulldogs to run-rule wins over Cleveland State, UC Santa Barbara
3/9/2018 11:09:00 PM | Softball
The senior hits two walk-off home runs and throws a one-hit shutout
Tournament Central
FRESNO, Calif. – Senior Savannah McHellon ended two games via the run rule with walk-off home runs and threw a 1-hit shutout in the nightcap to lead Fresno State to a 9-0 win in five innings over Cleveland State and an 8-0 win in six innings over UC Santa Barbara on Friday in the Fresno State Invitational.
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McHellon was 4-for-8 in the two games with two homers, a double, and six RBIs. She was the starting pitcher against UC Santa Barbara and allowed just one single over six scoreless innings, taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning and striking out three for her first win of the season.
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As a team the Bulldogs outscored Cleveland State (8-8) and UC Santa Barbara (8-16) 17-0, hitting .356 without allowing a run over 11.0 innings. McHellon and freshman Danielle East, who threw a five-inning shutout in the first game of the day, combined to allow just four hits (all singles) and three walks with five strikeouts. Â
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How it Happened (Cleveland State Game)
After East retired the side in order in the top of the first the Bulldogs scored three times in the bottom half. McHellon drove in Miranda Rohleder for the first run of the game on a groundout, and after a walk and a single Rachel Minogue split the gap in left center for a two-run triple to make it a 3-0 lead.
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Fresno State added a run in the third as McHellon had a leadoff double and pinch runner Brooke Coates scored on a Hayleigh Galvan double. The 'Dogs left the bases loaded in the third and left two aboard in the fourth inning before ending the game in the fifth.
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The Vikings got the first out in the inning before Schuylar Broussard doubled and scored on an RBI single from Chase LeeHong. Dominique Jackson followed with a pinch-hit double, the Bulldogs' fifth double of the game, to make the score 6-0. Rohleder extended the inning with an infield single and with two away McHellon hit one over the wall in left center for a game-ending 3-run homer.
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How it Happened (UC Santa Barbara Game)
McHellon, who was making just her second pitching start of the season, and UC Santa Barbara starting pitcher Felisha Noriega matched zeros through the first three innings. Neither team had a hit and the only baserunners came from two walks and a hit batter. McHellon had a perfect top of the fourth but the 'Dogs got to Noriega in the bottom half.
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The first five Bulldog hitters reached in the bottom of the fourth. The 'Dogs loaded the bases with two hit batters and a single and Vanessa Hernandez drove in two runs with an RBI single. Minogue followed with a booming double to center to make it 3-0 and Broussard followed with an RBI groundout. Fresno State scored a fifth run as Minogue scored on a wild pitch as the home team sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning.
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McHellon got the first out in the top of the fifth before Samantha Lujan ended the no-hit bid with a long single to the wall in center field. Fresno State added a run in the bottom of the fifth on an Emily Brodner sacrifice fly and McHellon retired the side in order in the top of the sixth.
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In the bottom of the sixth, Rohleder drew a leadoff walk to bring McHellon to the plate as the potential winning run. She hit the first pitch home run distance but foul, and on the eighth pitch of the at-bat she hit a bomb down the left field line the stayed fair to end the game.
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Quotable On her day…
"It felt really good. It was a great night; both sides worked well. I didn't have it every at-bat and I was happy to see my teammates pick me up and lead the way. It was what our team needed just to get our fire and spirit back and I'm just happy about the wins, that's all that matters."
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On her pitching performance…
"It gives me a lot of confidence. I haven't had a game like that in a while and it brings me back to so much joy. Being able to lead my team like that is really amazing."
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Notable
With the revised tournament schedule, Fresno State plays Cleveland State at 11:30 a.m. and No. 17 California at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday at Margie Wright Diamond.
 "Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateSB
Instagram:Â FresnoStateSoftball
Facebook:Â FresnoStateSoftball
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FRESNO, Calif. – Senior Savannah McHellon ended two games via the run rule with walk-off home runs and threw a 1-hit shutout in the nightcap to lead Fresno State to a 9-0 win in five innings over Cleveland State and an 8-0 win in six innings over UC Santa Barbara on Friday in the Fresno State Invitational.
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McHellon was 4-for-8 in the two games with two homers, a double, and six RBIs. She was the starting pitcher against UC Santa Barbara and allowed just one single over six scoreless innings, taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning and striking out three for her first win of the season.
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As a team the Bulldogs outscored Cleveland State (8-8) and UC Santa Barbara (8-16) 17-0, hitting .356 without allowing a run over 11.0 innings. McHellon and freshman Danielle East, who threw a five-inning shutout in the first game of the day, combined to allow just four hits (all singles) and three walks with five strikeouts. Â
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How it Happened (Cleveland State Game)
After East retired the side in order in the top of the first the Bulldogs scored three times in the bottom half. McHellon drove in Miranda Rohleder for the first run of the game on a groundout, and after a walk and a single Rachel Minogue split the gap in left center for a two-run triple to make it a 3-0 lead.
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Fresno State added a run in the third as McHellon had a leadoff double and pinch runner Brooke Coates scored on a Hayleigh Galvan double. The 'Dogs left the bases loaded in the third and left two aboard in the fourth inning before ending the game in the fifth.
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The Vikings got the first out in the inning before Schuylar Broussard doubled and scored on an RBI single from Chase LeeHong. Dominique Jackson followed with a pinch-hit double, the Bulldogs' fifth double of the game, to make the score 6-0. Rohleder extended the inning with an infield single and with two away McHellon hit one over the wall in left center for a game-ending 3-run homer.
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How it Happened (UC Santa Barbara Game)
McHellon, who was making just her second pitching start of the season, and UC Santa Barbara starting pitcher Felisha Noriega matched zeros through the first three innings. Neither team had a hit and the only baserunners came from two walks and a hit batter. McHellon had a perfect top of the fourth but the 'Dogs got to Noriega in the bottom half.
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The first five Bulldog hitters reached in the bottom of the fourth. The 'Dogs loaded the bases with two hit batters and a single and Vanessa Hernandez drove in two runs with an RBI single. Minogue followed with a booming double to center to make it 3-0 and Broussard followed with an RBI groundout. Fresno State scored a fifth run as Minogue scored on a wild pitch as the home team sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning.
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McHellon got the first out in the top of the fifth before Samantha Lujan ended the no-hit bid with a long single to the wall in center field. Fresno State added a run in the bottom of the fifth on an Emily Brodner sacrifice fly and McHellon retired the side in order in the top of the sixth.
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In the bottom of the sixth, Rohleder drew a leadoff walk to bring McHellon to the plate as the potential winning run. She hit the first pitch home run distance but foul, and on the eighth pitch of the at-bat she hit a bomb down the left field line the stayed fair to end the game.
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Quotable On her day…
"It felt really good. It was a great night; both sides worked well. I didn't have it every at-bat and I was happy to see my teammates pick me up and lead the way. It was what our team needed just to get our fire and spirit back and I'm just happy about the wins, that's all that matters."
Â
On her pitching performance…
"It gives me a lot of confidence. I haven't had a game like that in a while and it brings me back to so much joy. Being able to lead my team like that is really amazing."
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Notable
- McHellon has hit three walk-off home runs over the last six Fresno State games. She beat Cal Poly with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh in the suspended game that was completed last Sunday.
- The Bulldogs now have six walk-off wins this season. Five of them have come via the home run and four of the six walk-offs have been run-rule wins.
- Bulldog hitters were hit by a pitch six times on Friday, with five hit-by-pitches against UC Santa Barbara. The 'Dogs have now been hit by a pitch 33 times in 21 games this season.
- As a team Fresno State had a .492 on-base percentage on Friday, reaching base in nearly half of their at-bats.
- East threw her second shutout of the season, having thrown an 8-inning shutout earlier this season against Stanford.
- In other action at the Fresno State Invitational on Friday, Monmouth beat Cleveland State, 5-1, while No. 17 California beat Monmouth, 6-0, and beat UC Santa Barbara, 12-2 in five innings.
- Due to forecasted rain on Saturday the tournament schedule changed, with Monmouth and UC Santa Barbara now playing a doubleheader at Fresno City College. The complete updated schedule is available on the Tournament Central page.
With the revised tournament schedule, Fresno State plays Cleveland State at 11:30 a.m. and No. 17 California at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday at Margie Wright Diamond.
 "Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Follow us on:
Twitter:Â @FresnoStateSB
Instagram:Â FresnoStateSoftball
Facebook:Â FresnoStateSoftball
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: East, Danielle (7-5)
L: KAISK, Macy (1-3)
Batting:
SH: TONE, Aubrie 1
Batting:
2B: Rohleder, Miranda 1 ; McHellon, Savannah 1 ; Galvan, Hayleigh 1 ; Broussard, Schuylar 1 ; Jackson, Dominique 1
3B: Minogue, Rachel 1
HR: McHellon, Savannah 1
RBI: McHellon, Savannah 4 ; Galvan, Hayleigh 1 ; Minogue, Rachel 2 ; LeeHong, Chase 1 ; Jackson, Dominique 1
SH: Castellon, Katie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rohleder, Miranda 2 ; McHellon, Savannah 1 ; Coates, Brooke 1 ; Galvan, Hayleigh 1 ; Hernandez, Vanessa 1 ; Broussard, Schuylar 1 ; LeeHong, Chase 1 ; Jennings, Kaitlyn 1
SB: Rohleder, Miranda 2 ; Coates, Brooke 1
HBP: Rios, Hailee 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
C
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
LHP
/ SoftballC/OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ SoftballDP/RHP
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballIF
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